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Over the next six weeks, we’ll be taking a quick look at each of the 30 NHL clubs — examining their major storylines, pivotal players and the most important questions they need to answer heading into the 2016-17 season.

By the time we’ve hit every team, it will be mid-September. And that, of course, means it will be time for training camps to open. Perfect timing, really.

Today, it’s the Montreal Canadiens…

MAJOR STORYLINE

While all of Canada was clearly disappointed when the playoffs began without a single team from north of the border even qualifying, the fans in Montreal really felt the sting. That’s because expectations were high for a Canadiens club that won the Atlantic in 2015, then rattled off nine straight wins to begin the 2015-16 campaign.

By November 7, they were 13-2-1 — not exactly the sort of start that foreshadows a difficult season.

Problem is, Carey Price had already played the vast majority of games he was going to play by November 7, as he suited up just three more times after that. Injuries derailed his Hart Trophy defense, and promptly ruined the Habs’ entire year in the process.

With the 2016-17 season rapidly approaching, Montreal might just be Canada’s best shot at getting a team into the playoffs. But a somewhat controversial blockbuster trade that sent P.K. Subban to Nashville for Shea Weber has raised the stakes that much higher.

If the Canadiens struggle early, the Subban plotline will follow them around for awhile. Honestly, even if they get on a roll, that plotline could linger.

BURNING QUESTION

Is the return of Carey Price enough to propel Montreal back into the playoffs?

It’s easy to recall how bad the Canadiens looked in the second half of last season, and make the argument that one player can’t change everything. Thing is, that one player was otherworldly in his last full campaign. And he plays the most important position in the game.

If Price was, say, the best left wing in the world, then it would be tough to see his return being enough to change Montreal’s fortunes. But the fact that he can singlehandedly swing games by dominating between the pipes makes this a legitimate debate.

Granted, the Habs are essentially asking him to be insanely good just to give them a chance. But how is that different than what they’ve been doing the last few years?

NOTABLE SUMMER LOSS

P.K. Subban (to NSH)

There just aren’t a lot of humongous trades like the Subban-for-Weber deal in today’s NHL. And we may never know the full story of why exactly Montreal was willing to move a 27-year-old defender who already has a Norris Trophy on his resume and just happens to be one of the best puck-moving blueliners around. Especially in an era where D-men who can trigger an offense are at a premium.

On top of all that, they shipped him off in exchange for a player who is four years older and has a much less team-friendly contract.

The weirdest aspect to the move is that it essentially forces anyone who’s talking about it to unintentionally disparage Weber’s game. And that’s a shame. He’s a phenomenal player who has been in the Norris discussion plenty of times himself. And his mighty slap shot is the stuff that hockey myths are made of. Plus, he’s only 31, and should still have plenty of good hockey in front of him.

But the circumstances of this particular trade left a lot of people around the sport scratching their heads.

IMPACT PROSPECT

Mikhail Sergachev (drafted: No. 9 in 2016)

Many scouts believe Sergachev was the most NHL-ready defenseman in the draft this past June. That doesn’t mean the Canadiens are going to rush him to the big club though.

Generally speaking, it’s usually easier for a teenage forward to make that jump than it is for a teenage blueliner. You don’t necessarily have to be as physical to be effective up front, and a winger can make the occasional mistake without it instantly turning into a scoring chance the other way. Defensemen don’t have that luxury.

Still, the Habs were pretty happy that the Windsor product fell to them at No. 9. So his NHL debut is likely coming sooner, rather than later.

BIGGEST CAP HIT

Shea Weber ($7.857 million)

At least he’s not signed until 2026. Oh wait.

2017 UFA TO KEEP AN EYE ON

Andrei Markov

Entering his 16th NHL season, Markov will turn 38 before the trade deadline hits. Meaning he could be a nice rental player for a team in contention looking for help on the back end. Of course, it’s not going to be easy for the Canadiens to just deal away someone that has played for them his entire career — particularly since that career started when they drafted him last century.

It’s entirely possible the Habs are still fighting for a postseason berth when that deadline rolls around too. And if that’s the case, they’re not going to be too keen on parting ways with a veteran defender.

X-FACTOR

Alexander Radulov

You knew we’d get to him at some point.

Look, a case could certainly be made for Andrew Shaw as the x-factor. Can he be as effective in Montreal, where he’s not surrounded by nearly as much talent as he was in Chicago?

Or even Brendan Gallagher. He’s scrappy, tough and the sort of player you love if he’s on your team… and not so much if you’re playing against him. Plus, there was a point last year when the Canadiens were 18-5-2 with a healthy Gallagher in the lineup. His presence tends to lead to good things.

Those guys aren’t the x-factor here though because, well, Montreal went out and signed the very definition of an x-factor. Who knows what they’re getting out of Radulov? Is he going to be the guy who carved up the KHL all these years? Is he the potentially prolific point producer that Nashville took at No. 15 overall in the 2004 draft? Or is he the guy that gets caught up in off-the-ice distractions while his club is in the midst of a playoff series?

In reality, he’s been all of those things. The question is, where does he fall on that spectrum now? Radulov likely realizes this is his last true shot at NHL glory and, with just a one-year “prove it” deal, he has plenty of incentive to be at his very best. Whether that’s enough to jumpstart the Habs’ offense remains to be seen.