MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens have rebounded strongly through 44 games after a 22nd place finish in the standings in 2015-16, earning a significant lead over their Atlantic Division rivals.

The heavy lifting is still to come, but you can’t deny this group has evolved and proven it is better-equipped to handle adversity.

A recent 9-5-4 record without top centre Alex Galchenyuk — and several other key players — shows how far the Canadiens (27-11-6) have come.

Grades on their mid-season report card reflect their progress:

Forwards
Sven Andrighetto, C-minus: After putting up 25 points in 69 games, we expected he’d make the team out of camp. His showing was so pedestrian in September that the Canadiens were willing to expose him to waivers and send him to the AHL. He’s been on a yo-yo between Montreal and St. John’s ever since, and his performance with the big club has left much to be desired.

Paul Byron, A-plus: Raise your hand if you had Byron as the second-leading goal scorer on the Canadiens. The waiver-wire claim of a year ago has 13 goals, 14 assists and a plus-10 rating. He has exceeded expectations in every department and become an indispensable part of the lineup.

Daniel Carr, C: With one goal and six assists to show for his efforts, it’s impossible to give him a better grade. But Carr’s efforts are always maximal, and considering how frequently he finds himself in the danger zones, it’s not unreasonable to expect he’ll start scoring more regularly. He’s done it at every level.

Phillip Danault, A-plus: There was zero expectation that this player could be anything more than serviceable depth for the Canadiens. Nine goals and 15 assists is found money, and his two-way ability has turned him into one of Montreal’s most-used forwards. He’s making only $832,000, so he’s unquestionably providing the most bang for the buck on this team.

David Desharnais, D: Desharnais has been a disappointment with three goals, six assists and only two power-play points in 25 games of mostly sheltered ice-time before suffering a knee injury. In his absence, the play of Danault, Torrey Mitchell, Tomas Plekanec and Michael McCarron has all but eliminated the possibility he can resume his role as a centre when healthy. Coach Michel Therrien’s reluctance to put him on the wing in the past could spell the end of his time with the Canadiens when he’s ready to return from injury.

Brian Flynn, B: An effective fourth liner who can play both centre and wing, he has done his job well. Scoring 10 points in 33 games is a bonus.

Alex Galchenyuk, A: He ranked as high as fifth in NHL scoring before suffering a knee injury that took him out of 18 games. He’s got 24 points in 26 games, and if he can improve on his 39.7 per cent efficiency in the faceoff circle, he’ll take the next step in his development.

Brendan Gallagher, C: At first glance, six goals and 12 assists for 18 points in 39 games isn’t terrible, but it’s far off the pace expected from a player who’s been nothing but consistent throughout his career. A career-low 5.4 shooting percentage has been a major factor, and another injury to his left hand (he suffered one last season, too), which will keep him out for seven more weeks, was the last thing he needed.

Artturi Lehkonen, B-plus: After torching the Swedish League in his second season and breaking Daniel Alfredsson’s playoff scoring record with Frolunda, we had a feeling Lehkonen would be an effective NHLer in his first season. We’ll see how he handles a longer, more rigorous schedule as things move along, but so far he’s been even better than expected.

Michael McCarron, B: There have been signs of progress with this player since the day he was drafted 25th overall in 2013. He doesn’t look out of place in his rookie season, and maybe that has something to do with the 20 NHL games he played last year. Once he has the strength to go along with that six-foot-six, 230-pound frame, he’s going to be exactly what the Canadiens expected him to be when they drafted him: A very effective middle-six player.

Torrey Mitchell, A: He set a career-high with 11 goals last season and has seven through Montreal’s first 44 games. Add in seven assists, a plus-8 rating and a 53 per cent faceoff efficiency and it’s clear Mitchell has played his role as a fourth-line centre to perfection. If he hadn’t accumulated 29 penalty minutes due mostly to stick infractions, he’d have a plus next to that ‘A’ grade.

Max Pacioretty, A: If he hadn’t started slow with just three goals in his first 14 games, he’d have a perfect grade. But Pacioretty has responded well to his many critics and performed admirably under the pressure of the captaincy, notching 20 goals for the fifth time in his career and leading the Canadiens in scoring with 37 points. He’s on pace for his best NHL season to date. You can’t ask for much more.

Tomas Plekanec, C-minus: A lot of what Plekanec does well goes unnoticed. He’s thrived in his role as a shutdown centre and deserves credit for his work in that department, but his offensive struggles through most of the first half of the season can’t be overlooked especially with a $6 million salary. Also, his role as a key member of a penalty-killing unit that ranks 24th in the NHL doesn’t help his grade. It must be noted that he’s quietly turned it up on offence of late with five goals and eight assists in his last 17 games.

Alexander Radulov, A-plus: Outside of a six-game pointless streak, Radulov has been Montreal’s most consistent player. That he’s been such a good fit on and off the ice and become known as the hardest working player and a leader has been a huge bonus.

Andrew Shaw, B: You can’t turn your nose up at 15 points in 30 games for a guy who’s played mostly third-line minutes. The obvious criticism: he needs to straddle the line rather than cross it, which he’s done on too many occasions so far. But he’s brought a lot of energy to the Canadiens and has a strong presence in the locker-room.

Defencemen
Mark Baberio, B-minus: Barberio had a bad camp and played his way out of a spot on the main roster. But since his recall from St. John’s in late-November, he’s been a reliable part of the team’s bottom pair, which is more than you can say about the guys he’s been partnering up with.

Nathan Beaulieu, B-minus: A player of his ability should be able to help his team control more than 49 per cent of the shot attempts when he’s on the ice. The skating is there, the skill is there, but the confidence isn’t present as consistently as one would hope. This is a contract-year for him, so Beaulieu will have to emerge as a bona fide top-four defenceman to earn a significant raise.

Alexei Emelin, A: When he’s at his best, he’s hitting everything in sight. I can’t recall him playing better and he’s leading the Canadiens (and ranks fourth in the NHL) in hits with 143. That he’s emerged as the best fit with Shea Weber is a complete surprise, and he’s earned the role with better puck movement than he’s been known for in the past.

Ryan Johnston, C: Johnston is proving he can play in the NHL as an undrafted, five-foot-nine, 180-pound defenceman. He hasn’t recorded a point and ranks minus-3 through seven games, but moves the puck efficiently and skates really well. There are limitations to his game (his inability to keep traffic to the outside when he’s engaged in a one-on-one battle comes to mind), which are going to keep him further down the depth chart than he’d like to be.

Andrei Markov, A: He’s a fine wine at 38 years old. The Russian defenceman has collected 21 points in 31 games and was a pillar of stability before a groin injury kept him from Montreal’s last 13 games. Without him, the Canadiens have allowed one more goal per game.

Greg Pateryn, B-minus: He was just starting to find his best self when a shot broke his ankle in St. Louis on Dec. 6. Pateryn struggled a bit with his puck movement at the start of the season, but his confidence has increased as things went along. If he picks up where he left off when he returns towards the end of January/beginning of February, he could be the stable No. 6 defenceman the Canadiens need him to be.

Jeff Petry, A: He’s arguably been Montreal’s best defenceman, rocking a 55 per cent Corsi For and notching eight goals and 22 points. Coming off a sports hernia surgery last season, Petry has played a big role in Montreal’s reversal. There have been some off-games sprinkled in, but he’s also had stretches that have featured the best hockey he’s ever played — according to coach Michel Therrien.

Zach Redmond, C: On the one hand, he has five assists in 10 games after a broken foot took him out of action for the first month of the season. On the other, he hasn’t been able to gain Therrien’s trust to earn a spot as a regular on the bottom pair. Inconsistent play in his own end has made this a tough season for him so far.

Shea Weber, A: He’s tapered off a bit since a white-hot start to the season saw him score seven goals and six assists in his first 12 games. He leads all Montreal blueliners with 28 points (ranks fifth among NHL defencemen), and has a team-leading plus-19 rating. He’s come exactly as advertised, both on and off the ice, and his all-business attitude has helped the Canadiens persevere through major adversity thus far.

Goalies
Al Montoya, B: Outside of a 10-0 loss to Columbus, Al Montoya’s done everything asked of him as Carey Price’s backup. At 6-4-2, with a .907 save percentage and 2.86 goals-against average in spite of that big loss to the Blue Jackets, he’s earned the two-year contract extension general manager Marc Bergevin recently awarded him.

Carey Price, A-minus: After starting the season by playing as well as he ever has, Price has hovered at a .905 save percentage since the beginning of December. Even in his recent struggles, he’s still come up with enough key saves at essential moments to allow the Canadiens to win more games than they’ve lost. Looking at the whole, Price has still been Montreal’s best player this season.

Head Coach
Michel Therrien, A-plus: Therrien has created a meritocracy and gotten the best out of nearly every single one of his players, putting the Canadiens on pace to finish with 113 points. He’s also done an exemplary job of conserving the team’s energy by deploying four lines on a regular basis and offering rest between games to deal with the condensed schedule. The team’s strong work ethic is a function of its leadership and that starts with the coach.