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When last seen, Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu was limping away on a badly bruised foot, dejected after yet another disappointing second-round NHL playoff exit.

And though Koivu is once again nursing a sore foot — courtesy of an errant shot during a recent workout in Finland — his mood has brightened considerably.

"It was the left one [during the playoffs]; now it's the right one, just to make it even up. But it's fine," Koivu chuckled yesterday at the official opening of the Habs' training camp.

If Koivu is able to laugh off his most recent physical nick, it's because he senses the current edition of the Canadiens is the team he's been waiting to play on since he debuted as a first-round draft pick in 1996.

"When I first came here, my first two years, we had a pretty good team on paper and on the ice. But this one, I think, has more youth, has more potential, and I think it's better. This is the best team in a long, long time that the Montreal Canadiens have had," the 33-year-old centre said.

This year, Koivu is poised to become the longest-serving captain in Canadiens history — passing Jean Beliveau — and in his tenure he has enjoyed a front-row seat for some of the storied franchise's leanest years. There were the mid-1990s ("when we had a good team") and then the late '90s ("wasn't a lot of fun").

Last year, the Canadiens exceeded expectations by winning the Eastern Conference, but once again disappointed in the playoffs — a regular theme for Koivu, who has never played beyond the second round.

And the fact remains the Stanley Cup hasn't made an appearance on Sainte-Catherine Street in more than 15 years.

If Montrealers have shelved their stock cliché in past seasons — that the Stanley Cup parade would follow its customary route — the enthusiasm is building for the team's 100th anniversary season.

"I think we created a buzz last year with the way we played in the playoffs, and obviously the expectations are going to be higher, but that's what we want. When you have expectations, that's when the fun begins," Koivu said.

Beyond high hopes, it's clear general manager Bob Gainey has assembled a team built to win in the short term.

Several key players, including Koivu, top-scorer Alexei Kovalev and defenceman Mike Komisarek, are in the final year of their contracts.

"It's pretty crazy … but last year, we had similar situations, and it was healthy. [Gainey] likes to have internal competition, and it keeps guys on the edge to bring their best every night," said winger Chris Higgins, who will be a restricted free agent next summer.

Despite the presence of key off-season acquisitions Alex Tanguay, Robert Lang and Georges Laraque, much of Montreal's success will rest on the 21-year-old shoulders of goaltender Carey Price.

And those shoulders aren't anywhere near as beefy as they were last season.

Price has turned up at camp much leaner after spending the off-season training hard, overhauling his eating habits and working on his mental approach to hockey.

"I've always been a pretty calm, relaxed guy, but I learned how it is to lose in the NHL last year in the second round of the playoffs, and it hurts. I think that kinda fuelled my training this summer," he said.

Another key to this season will be the play of Kovalev, a mercurial forward who reported 10 pounds lighter than last year.

The smooth-skating Russian alluded to the need for the team's younger players to "show that last year wasn't an accident." Kovalev was also quizzed about the arrival of Laraque, perhaps the most feared player in the NHL.

"The guy's got some skill, we've already checked that [out] in some practices, and we'll teach him some other tricks too," he said. "Maybe I'll give him one of my [instructional] DVDs."

Laraque, who went to the Cup finals with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, said he could feel a new level of excitement from his interactions with fans.

"They have the sense this year is our year. With everything that's going on, it's exciting, and I understand why people are excited because the players are too," the Montreal native said.