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THE REGULAR SEASON

Optimism reigns at the beginning of the season. The team’s playoff success the previous spring, Jose Theodore’s play, and team captain Saku Koivu’s return to full health have many experts predicting a solid season for the Canadiens.

The Canadiens enjoy their share of highs and lows in October, recording nine points in as many games. There is little improvement in November and December.

Players like Mariusz Czerkawski, added to the lineup during the summer, and Donald Audette are slow to produce offense. The two forwards are both sent down for brief stints in the minors. For his part, Jose Theodore’s performance is not up to par with his dream season of a year earlier.

The offense essentially rests on the shoulders of Koivu, Richard Zednik and Yanic Perreault, while Andrei Markov, in his first full season in Montreal, makes huge strides and quickly shows signs of becoming a quarterback on the blue line.

In mid-January, as the team slides to 11th overall in the Eastern Conference, general manager Andre Savard fires Michel Therrien, who was in his third season as the team’s head coach. Savard replaces him with Claude Julien, who filled the same role behind the bench of Habs’ AHL affiliate in Hamilton.

A few days later, Savard makes another move and trades Jeff Hackett, who had been relegated to backup status with the emergence of Theodore, to the San Jose Sharks, who then send Hackett to Boston. In the deal, the Habs acquire Niklas Sundstrom.

Despite Julien’s arrival as head coach, the team is unable to improve its situation. The Habs see their playoff hopes evaporate with a nine-game winless streak that ends in early March.

The Canadiens end the season 10th overall in the East and miss the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.