And so begins Marc Bergevin's true challenge as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens.

Gifted with a shortened season that saw the Habs jump from worst in the Conference to one of the most competitive clubs in the East, Bergevin had a nice intro.

He certainly took over a rather maligned situation from the previous management regime, yet he was also fortunate that among the gifts left over was a 3rd overall selection that saw Montreal nab Alex Galchenyuk, not to mention the outstanding debut of Brendan Gallagher, among other bright spots from the 2013 season.

It's easy to run down the list of what went right and how Bergevin did well by his Canadiens this past year (Cole for Ryder + 3rd, signing the Norris winner to a bridge deal no one thought was happening, Prust signing paying off, etc...), but the real questions start now.

Can the Canadiens replicate their 48 game performance over a full 82 game schedule?

It all starts with the draft and that's why this year's bumper crop of prospects offers Marc Bergevin a plethora of options.

With 6 picks in the top 3 rounds, Bergevin has maneuverability. Yet, while 6 picks in the top 90 sound great, it's the picks that come before #40 which provide the most value. Especially given the way folks have been talking about the talent in the upcoming draft.

That means that those three 3rd rounders are nice, but also potentially expendable.

Hell, let's quite with the semantics, I would assume anything is on the table if a good move presents itself, but the point I am driving at is how aggressive will Bergevin be?

He can't be all that patient. And he has to definitely build on the momentum, success and youth movement that began this past season.

But which way to go?

With a salary cap decreasing, rather than increasing, the handcuffs squeeze a little tighter in regards to letting go of any of those draft picks, but will status quo work? Will using all 6 picks be the best modus operandi for Habs management?

Hard to tell, but you know that the current weaknesses of the club won't be completely solved by graduating prospects next season. More help will be required.

So, does Bergevin use his picks as trade bait?

Does he dangle a morsel like Andrei Markov in a market that is utterly deprived of veteran power play quarterbacks?

There are other players who come to mind as potential trade bait, but you'd have to think that a decision on how to use the team's second and final compliance buyout is likely the first piece to this puzzle.

Once the decision is made on who to buyout, if it isn't already Kaberle, then they can move forward with things. And the assumption is that decision will be definite by the time the club hits the draft floor in New Jersey on June 28th.

What is out there on the free agent market? Not much in terms of helping the Habs. At least not without getting into a bidding war. And there again lies the question of just how aggressive will Marc Bergevin be this off-season?

One thing stands out right now, and that is that there is a strong positive feeling around moving up in the draft. If you can move up or land more picks in the top 40, you're going to do right by your club.

With the Northeast division morphing next year, and adding the Detroit Red Wings to the fold, things do not get easier for the Canadiens as they will be adding another playoff contender to a division that boasted 4 of the final 16 teams in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

If that is motivation enough to remain aggressive in upgrading the Habs this off-season, I don't what is!

What would you like to see Marc Bergevin do with the current roster of players and current crop of draft picks in the 2013 draft?

As Yoda says, "choose wisely, you must" as the future success of the Montreal Canadiens depends on Bergevin realizing his vision for this team.

What's yours?



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