When a team reaches the midway point in the season, it’s customary to take stock. This usually takes the form of letter grades for each player, but in keeping with Michel Therrien’s emphasis on the team this mid-season Canadiens review will take a broader look at the team’s achievements and disappointments:

Defence: This is where it starts in Therrien’s grand scheme. The coach preaches an aggressive forecheck, leading to a quick transition game that takes advantage of the team’s speed. This is where Therrien has had to do a selling job, and the players appear to have bought in. The Canadiens reached the midway point with the eighth-best goals-against average in the National Hockey League and would have been higher if Carey Price hadn’t gone through two meltdowns against the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders in the past week. The Canadiens have done a good job of limiting the opposition shots on goal and backup goaltender Peter Budaj is on a three-game winning streak.

Offence: Every coach’s dream is to be able to roll four lines, and Therrien has done that this season. After a slow start, Max Pacioretty and David Desharnias have picked up where they left off last season. But while Pacioretty, Desharnais and Erik Cole provided the bulk of the offence last season, the four lines have taken turns at filling the net this season. Twelve different players have at least 10 points and nine players have scored game-winning goals. A healthy Brian Gionta has given Tomas Plekanec a capable playmate and Plekanec has a team-leading 10 goals.

Something new: General manager Marc Bergevin added some grit, if not size, to the lineup by signing free agents Francis Bouillon, Colby Armstrong and Brandon Prust, an undersized pugilist who has shown his talent isn’t confined to fighting. The lockout allowed Alex Galchenyuk to catch up on the time he missed following knee surgery last season and the rookie has displayed the skill expected from a top-three draft pick. But the more impressive rookie to date has been baby-faced Brendan Gallagher, whose all-out style of play has made him a crowd favourite.

Specialty items: The Canadiens’ aggressiveness may have come at a price. They are one of the most penalized teams in the NHL with an average of 15 minutes a game, but have been working on reducing that number. The power play is a work in progress with P.K. Subban learning to play with Andrei Markov. There’s room for improvement on the penalty-kill, which is in the middle of the pack after being one of the best in the NHL last season.

Coaching: It’s a calmer, more confident Therrien behind the Canadiens bench in his second stint as head coach. He has surrounded himself with a solid cast of assistants. Therrien preaches accountability and has used ice time to reward — and punish — players. He has managed the ice time well, which is one factor in avoiding the third-period collapses that plagued this team last season.

Man at the top: General manager Marc Bergevin has been a breath of fresh air. He made a series of moves to clear cap space, showed resolve in his standoff with Subban and displayed decisiveness in taking the contracts of Cole and Scott Gomez off the books.

Areas of concern: The Canadiens reached the midway point in first place in the Eastern Conference, albeit with a tenuous hold because Boston has a week’s worth of games in hand. The Canadiens are still small as a team. This isn’t a concern when forwards Desharnais, Gionta and Gallagher play big, but a little more size on defence would be welcome.

phickey@montrealgazette.com

Twitter: @zababes1