Give the kid some credit. Carey Price was handed the starter’s role after the Montreal Canadiens traded away Cristobal Huet to the Washington Capitals and was expected to take his team to the Promised Land.

Granted, the Canadiens had their best finish to the regular-season since the 1988-89 season, but you can’t blame Price for the team’s early playoff exit.

Time and time again during the season, Price stood on his head, keeping his team in games and making saves appear effortless. He’s without a doubt the next star goaltender in the NHL, but he can’t do it himself.

Unfortunately for the Canadiens, the rest of the team fell apart. Price made some bonehead plays throughout the postseason, primarily in an attempt to give his team a chance to score, but the without any assistance it was hard to imagine the Habs getting past the second-round.

Missed opportunities, blown chances, dumb giveaways and misread plays left the Canadiens shaking the Philadelphia Flyers’ hands after losing Game 5 in the second round. Fittingly, it was a brainless attempt by Francis Bouillon to dump the puck out of the Habs’ zone that went straight to the opposition that broke the camel’s back.

The Canadiens will take a boat load of positives out of this past season as they move forward in an attempt to retool this summer.

They have a stud between the pipes in Price, who will battle for the Vezina Trophy in the near future.

Their young offensive weapons are extremely dangerous, with the likes of Chris Higgins, Tomas Plekanec and Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn leading the charge.

The club’s blueline is getting better, as youngsters Mike Komisarek, Ryan O’Byrne and Josh Gorges platoon the back-end.

The team’s depth is very solid, with such young players as Guillame Latendresse, Maxim Lapierre, Tom Kostopolous and Mikhail Grabovski.

And the club’s veteran leadership and star-power is led by the likes of Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev, Andrei Markov and Roman Hamrlik.

The Canadiens do, however, need to make a few changes over the course of the summer to keep them in contention.

Atop general manager Bob Gainey’s wish list is a physical top-line goal-scorer. The Canadiens tried to sign Brendan Shanahan when he was an unrestricted free agent, but the veteran decided to ink a deal with the New York Rangers.

Shanahan is a UFA again this summer, although Gainey’s not expected to re-visit that avenue this year.

The Canadiens are expected to go after Marian Hossa, who will likely hit the open market July 1. Hossa doesn’t possess a strong, physical element to his game, but he’s an excellent and underrated two-way forward with 100-point upside.

Montreal will have competition for Hossa, as the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks will be hot on his trail.

Gainey and his staff aren’t expected to bring back Michael Ryder, which will free up some cap space, but if the Habs fail to add a significant impact scorer to the lineup, they will explore their trade possibilities.

It was reported that the Habs were willing to move Higgins in a deal for Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin at the trade deadline, and the team could try their chances at acquiring another big-name star this summer.

Gainey will also look to shore-up his third and fourth lines.

Center Bryan Smolinski is set to become a UFA this summer and it’s uncertain if the Canadiens will attempt to re-sign him.

Smolinski has expressed his desire to stay in Montreal, however the Canadiens may try to pursue another player via free agency.

Another area of focus for Gainey will be the club’s blueline. Mark Streit and Patrice Brisebois need new contracts, and the Canadiens are serious about signing one of the two.

Streit had a career-year this season and will be a hot commodity if he hits the open market in July. The Canadiens and Streit agreed to postpone contract talks until after their season was up, and the two sides have begun discussing a contract extension.

Providing Streit signs, the Canadiens aren’t expected to bring back Brisebois.

O’Byrne will likely take Brisebois’ place on the depth chart next season, while youngsters Mathieu Carle, Pavel Valentenko and Alexei Yemelin will fight for a roster spot.

At the beginning of the season, many hockey pundits predicted the Habs to finish out of the playoffs this year. The Canadiens proved to everyone they’re the real deal, and the buzz is most definitely back in the city.

With a few changes here and there, and some time for the club’s younger players to reflect on a very successful season, the 2008-09 campaign should be an exciting one for Les Habitants.

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