For the second straight year, the highlight of Montreal’s California road trip is that it’s now over with after they lost all three games in the week. As for Laval, they continue to have little trouble scoring but stopping pucks was a concern once again this past week.

Our second group of prospects in our rankings series features players who are all at completely different stages of their development from just being recently selected to one who could be out of the organization in the summer.

David Schlemko’s debut in a Canadiens uniform has been delayed once again. The team announced on Wednesday that he has undergone surgery to remove a bone fragment in his hand and will miss the next three-to-four weeks.

As expected, defenceman Mark Streit cleared unconditional waivers on Monday, paving the way for the Habs to terminate his contract and grant him his release.

This past week did little to assuage concerns about the Habs as a lack of timely scoring and below average goaltending proved costly in a pair of losses. Scoring wasn’t a big concern in Laval but they too had goalie woes although they were able to secure a win in one of their two games.

Montreal’s first week of the season looked a lot like how they finished last year. They had plenty of chances but buried few as they started their season with a 1-2 record. Things were better in Laval who had a pair of strong games to open up their schedule with a couple of wins.

With the puck set to drop on the 2017-18 season, what are Montreal’s keys to success beyond the continued health of Carey Price? Our writers offer up their thoughts on what needs to happen for the Habs this year.