Here’s an excerpt from Hockey’s Future (Jason Menard) audit of the Canadiens prospect system/pool. The players rankings have been adjusted according to the prospects development from the past year:

Starting between the pipes and moving forward, the Canadiens have a very strong contingent of prospects. These players are spread throughout the hockey-playing world: from the NHL to the AHL to junior league; in North America and overseas.

What the Canadiens have done is set themselves up for a continual renewal of young, inexpensive talent to fill out their NHL roster for the foreseeable future. In the salary cap era, it is important to be able to replace talent as it either becomes too expensive or redundant. As much as the Habs can be considered contenders now, the seeds they’ve sown throughout their minor league and farm system ensures that they’ll enjoy the fruits of their labor for years to come.