The Montreal Canadiens went on an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, eventually falling in six games to the New York Rangers.
While the loss itself after the surprising finish no doubt hurt, the good news for Habs fans is the team looks even stronger this year and seems poised to take advantage of a more comfortable NHL playoff entry, which could lead to some serious postseason noise.
Despite their place in the standings though, Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin isn't done tinkering with his squad to ensure the group is playing meaningful hockey well into the spring.
"I know that from talking to other teams around the league Marc Bergevin has been very busy just making sure what's out there and what the asking price is," Pierre LeBrun said on an episode of Ottawa's TSN 1200, according to NicholsOnHockey.com.
"In other words, I don't think he's gone that far in terms of going after a certain player and going down that path, but he has made a lot of phone calls and done his homework in terms of knowing when the time is right what exactly it's going to cost and what he can get.
"So I would be surprised if he didn't make a move."
The focus for Bergevin to this point has been both a defensemen and a top-6 forward, TSN Insider Darren Dreger reports.
"Bergevin has kicked tires on Western Conference defensemen and he's also let it be known he'd like to add a top-6 forward. Is it conceivable that he does both? It's going to be tricky, again, because of the dollars that always included when you're go through these type of trade discussions," Dreger said on Montreal's TSN 690, NicholsOnHockey.com reported.
Dreger had said earlier in the week that there was ample "buzz" around the Habs and Bergevin's desire to do a deal ahead of the NHL's March trade deadline - the team has been linked to the likes of Evander Kane, Antoine Vermette, Ryan O'Reilly and Nail Yakupov.
With Carey Price playing out of his mind and the Habs looking strong and fast nearly all the way through their lineup, Bergevin may view this season as the time to go "all in" on a Stanley Cup run and finally risk mortgaging a piece of the future to ensure a more successful present.