The 744 should not constitute a no go IMO. As Orbitmic said, the J front cabin is very pleasant to fly in. And AF 744 J cabin have all been retrofitted now. OK it is NEV4, but at least it's not anymore the old NEV seats.
Another thing to maybe consider : in case of misconnection, you will be easily rebooked on AF via CDG, as they fly to YUL 3 or 4 times daily during the summer, as opposed to LH, LX, KL, BA who all fly to YUL only once daily from their hubs (I think).