It's possible that the biggest move of the Montreal Canadiens' offseason was the one that never happened.

GM Marc Bergevin went big but also went home, sending a five-year, $42.27 million offer sheet to Hurricanes forward and former RFA Sebastian Aho that was eventually matched by Carolina.

Clearly, the Canadiens were looking to add depth to their attack' signing a 22-year-old proven NHLer would've made a powerful impact, but they are forced to live life without Aho — or, perhaps, after Aho.

This has left many wondering where the Canadiens might look next but they didn't end up making a splash; however, this does not mean they failed to improve this offseason.

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There are multiple ways to build a competitive franchise, some general manager's make big-time trades while other's build through youth, acquiring draft picks and rebuilding from within. The latter method appears to be the direction the Canadiens are heading as they have 12 draft picks — two first-rounders— coming in the 2020 draft.

Offseason goals

Last season, Montreal missed a playoff spot by two points creating an interesting dynamic for a squad that was so close — do you rebuild because you weren't productive enough to advance or do you focus on what you have and improve heading into another season?

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This offseason provided the Canadiens with a chance to decide which route to take for the future and they ultimately went with draft picks. This doesn't necessarily mean the team is 100 percent sold on building through youth. It all depends on how the team plays early in the season and whether or not they decide to buy, sell or sit steady near the trade deadline.

Offseason acquisitions

Riley Barber (F), Ben Chiarot (D), Nick Cousins (F), Keith Kinkaid (G), Phil Varone (F)

Offseason departures

Jordie Benn (D), Michael Chaput (F), Nicolas Deslauriers (F), Antti Niemi (G), Andrew Shaw (F)

Free agency/trades

In free agency, the Canadiens were able to re-sign the majority of their depth players, keeping Charles Hudon, Artturi Lehkonen, Joel Armia, Mike Reilly and Michael McCarron in the mix. Defenseman Jordie Benn left for Vancouver but was replaced by Ben Chiarot, a younger but equally productive player who is four year's Benn's junior.

Andrew Shaw was traded back to Chicago after three seasons in Montreal and a career year in points (47 in 63 games). The Canadiens will not only miss his dominating physical play on the ice but it also leaves a hole in the top-6. Montreal has a few players that can plat top-6 in Laval but not necessarily in the NHL.

What the Shaw trade did do, however, was add some cap space and bring in three draft picks over the next two seasons, including a second-rounder next year.

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2019 draft

The first three rounds for the Canadiens in the 2019 NHL draft went as follows: Cole Caufield (15th overall), Jayden Struble (46), Mattias Norlinder (64) and Gianni Fairbrother (77).

Cole Caufield is freaky with his shot. He puts pucks where there is no room to put pucks.



Unreal goal in today's Canada/USA #WJSS finale in Plymouth pic.twitter.com/cna781oQsl — Brad Galli (@BradGalli) August 3, 2019

Caufield's electric skating and ability to reach open ice are strong characteristics for the 18-year-old. He is a sharpshooter with impeccable speed, useful for getting around most defenders on the fly. Once the puck is settled in the offensive zone, Caufield's vision helps him find the open target, but what has really impressed scouts is his accuracy when shooting the puck.

At 5-7, Caufield is undersized compared to his competition but if anything, he could use this to his advantage when slipping past defenders.

Farm system rankings: No. 5 Montreal

Offseason grade: B-

Even though they didn't make headlines this offseason — aside from, you know, that Aho thing — the Canadiens will be competitive and head into the 2019-20 season with promise. Sixteen teams will make the playoffs next season, and the Canadiens have a claim for why they can be one of them despite failing to make great strides this offseason.

Possibly the best move made was bringing in Chiarot to replace Benn. His age means he has some good years left in those skates and with his production equaling Benn's, Chiarot is likely to improve on those numbers with the Canadiens this season. He is coming off his most productive year with a career-high 78 appearances.

2019-20 season prediction:

The Montreal Canadiens are in a tough division that the Tampa Bay Lightning will likely run away with once again. This leaves two spots and, unfortunately, there are two solid teams in front of the Habs — the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. If the Canadiens do play more than 82 games next season, it will likely be as a wild card, but they'll probably fall in the first round to either division winner.