Michael MATHESON – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2024-25 NHL YEARBOOK – MONTREAL CANADIENS – Team Preview

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 16:00:58 +0000

_{MONTREAL, QC - NOVEMBER 30: Juraj Slafkovsky (20) of the Montreal Canadiens skates during the third period of the NHL game between the Florida Panthers and the Montreal Canadiens on November 30 2023, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC(Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire)}

2023-24 was another rebuilding year for the Canadiens, but they did make progress, posting a 30-36-16 record -- their best showing in terms of PTS% since their surprising trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2021. Perhaps more importantly, the core for Montreal’s next window is starting to take shape. Cole Caufield (28 goals, 65 points) and Juraj Slafkovsky (20 goals, 50 points) both made significant strides last season to establish themselves along with Nick Suzuki (33 goals, 77 points) as the main pillars of the young forward group. Meanwhile, Kaiden Guhle is fast becoming a legitimate top four defenceman while Cayden Primeau and Sam Montembeault are starting to look like a capable goaltending duo. It’s a good foundation for the Canadiens to build on top of.

WHAT’S CHANGED? Speaking of that foundation, Montreal helped cement it over the summer by signing Slafkovsky to an eight-year, $60.8 million contract that will begin with the 2025-26 campaign. The Canadiens also handed Guhle a six-year, $33.3 million extension that also starts in 2025-26. Montreal had already previously locked up Suzuki and Caufield to $7.875 million and $7.85 million annual cap hits, respectively, so the team’s done an excellent job of locking up talent to team-friendly deals. In terms of big additions on the trade or unrestricted free agent markets, though, Montreal had a quiet offseason.

WHAT WOULD SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? It will be tough for Montreal to squeak into the playoffs in 2024-25 as a member of the hyper-competitive Atlantic Division, but not impossible. Slafkovsky might take another step forward this season, a healthy Dach (he was limited to two games in 2023-24) would provide the squad with some badly needed secondary scoring. If those offensive gains are married with further growth from Primeau, then Montreal might look pretty good this season.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? However, Montreal’s depth isn’t really there yet. Sure, the addition of Patrik Laine at the deadline will help if he can stay healthy and find his 30-40 goal form. Slafkovsky, Caufield and Suzuki also give them three great scoring options, and defenceman Michael Matheson is coming off a fantastic 62-point campaign, but who else on the Canadiens is a good bet to record even 40 points? Dach? If he’s healthy, probably, but unfortunately injuries have been a recurring problem for him beyond just the 2023-24 campaign. Newhook? The potential is certainly there and might be their best bet, though the 23-year-old hasn’t done it yet, so he’s no sure thing. Keep in mind that the average team last year had 6.2 players provide at least 40 points, so even if Laine, Dach and Newhook all work out, and Montreal’s top forwards all stay healthy, that might only elevate Montreal’s offence to average. In a division as tough as the Atlantic, that might not cut it.

TOP BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Perhaps defenceman Lane Hutson should be included in the conversation for Canadiens players who might hit 40 points in 2024-25. He’s coming off a fantastic campaign in which he had 15 goals and 49 points in 38 contests with Boston University before concluding things with two assists in two outings for the Canadiens. The offensive upside is absolutely there for the 20-year-old, though expectations should be tempered for his rookie campaign, in part because he’s unlikely to have a role on Montreal’s top power-play unit.

FORWARD

Nick Suzuki

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	32	48	80	0.98

Back in Oct. 2021 when Suzuki had 28 goals and 82 points across 127 NHL games on his resume, Montreal decided to bet on his continued development by locking him up to an eight-year, $63 million contract that didn’t start until the 2022-23 campaign. If Suzuki had struggled to take that next step, then that contract would have looked like an overpay, but as it is, his $7.875 million cap hit is quickly becoming a steal. Suzuki set career highs last season with 33 goals and 77 points in 82 appearances. Although he finished with a minus-14 rating as a byproduct of playing for a rebuilding team, his relative 5v5 CF%/FF% were plus-5.5/5.6, which suggests Montreal performed far better when he was on the ice than off it. Perhaps that’s why he finished 13th in Selke Trophy voting for 2023-24 despite that poor plus/minus rating. It also helps that he’s made strides on the draw, winning 689 of his faceoffs for a 52.6 percent success rate. That marks the first time he’s won more faceoffs than he’s lost. The 25-year-old isn’t much of a physical presence, but that’s a mild criticism to lay on Suzuki in the face of what he brings to the table. The Ontario native figures to be an excellent top-line center for the Canadiens for many years to come.

Cole Caufield

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	36	32	68	0.83

Caufield has taken a bit to fully come into his own. He was wildly inconsistent in 2021-22, though part of that can be written off as him not gelling with former coach Dominique Ducharme, and he missed nearly half of the 2022-23 campaign. By contrast, Caufield was relatively steady last season and played the full 82 games, resulting in him setting career highs with 28 goals and 65 points. He also finished with a minus-4 rating, which isn’t bad as a member of a rebuilding squad, and his relative 5v5 CF%/FF% of plus-4.2/4.0 backs up the idea that Montreal was in a far better all-around position when he was on the ice. That’s despite the 5-foot-8 winger bringing very little to the table in terms of physicality. One interesting aspect of his game in 2023-24 was him firing 314 shots -- the seventh most in the league -- but having that counterbalanced by a career-worst 8.9 shooting percentage. Caufield’s bread-and-butter in terms of goals was shots right in front of the net. Outside of that, he found very little success with his shots, which is in stark contrast to 2022-23 when he had a 16.0 percent success rate on what the NHL defines as mid-range shots compared to the league average of 9.0. So it might be that luck simply wasn’t on Caufield’s side last season, which lends credence to the idea that he could reach even greater heights in 2024-25.

Patrik Laine

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
68	32	31	63	0.93

Laine will get a fresh start after being acquired by Montreal from Columbus, but what will he do with that opportunity? Unfortunately for Laine, what happens next might be outside of his control. The 26-year-old is coming off an especially difficult campaign in which he was limited to 18 games due to a combination of injuries and time in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. However, he also saw a decline in ice time and even served as a healthy scratch, underlining how rough his situation became in Columbus. Whatever else he is, Laine is still an amazing goal scorer, and getting him gives Montreal options. The Canadiens could go with their super line of Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, leaving Laine to headline the second line, or they could seek to spread out those four high-end offensive threats over two units. However, that’ll only be possible when Laine is healthy, bringing us to the part that’s out of his control. Although 2023-24 was particularly rough, Laine has a significant injury history, so it’s valid to wonder how much he’ll play. In a best-case scenario, though, would see a return to his 2017-18 form of 44 goals and 70 points.

Brendan Gallagher

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
76	14	16	30	0.39

Montreal has some great young forwards locked up to team-friendly contracts, but that’s counterbalanced by Gallagher. He still has three campaigns left on his six-year, $39 million contract, and there’s an argument to be made that he’s one of the biggest overpays in the league. Gallagher exceeded the 30-goal milestone in back-to-back campaigns in 2017-18 and 2018-19, but he hasn’t gotten more than 22 goals since, and he hasn’t even reached the 40-point mark past 2019-20. Most recently, Gallagher provided 16 goals, 31 points, a minus-24 rating and 4 PIM in 77 outings in 2023-24. Now 32 years old, the Canadiens have resigned to using him sparingly, as demonstrated by his average of 13:47 of ice time last season. At least he can do alright when Montreal picks his spots. Although he doesn’t have a size advantage at 5-foot-9, he’ll still play with an edge, and his relative CF%/FF% was a respectable plus-5.8/5.7 last season, which suggests he was an asset when on the ice despite what his horrid plus/minus might tell you. So, if you strictly look at him in the context of being a middle-six role player, then Gallagher is a perfectly serviceable option. It’s just that $6.5 million cap hit of his that sticks out like a sore thumb and given that he’s unlikely to recapture his former scoring glory, his contract will continue to be problematic.

Josh Anderson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	11	15	26	0.35

Anderson provides grit, but not a whole lot else. Sure, he did score 27 goals and 47 points across 82 contests as a member of the Blue Jackets back in 2018-19, but that season appears to have been an anomaly from an offensive standpoint. Now with Montreal, Anderson collected nine goals, 20 points, 74 PIM and 169 hits in 2023-24. Even ignoring the 2018-19 campaign, he is capable of doing more offensively than he demonstrated last year -- he finished each of 2021-22 and 2022-23 with 32 points -- so an uptick in scoring this season wouldn’t be surprising. Even if that happens, though, Montreal will be primarily paying him to utilize his size. He’ll do that primarily as a middle-six forward, but he also saw some time on a line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield last season, and there’s certainly some merit to having the big guy out there to create space for Montreal’s skilled forward, so we should see that arrangement from time-to-time again this year. The main x-factor here is Anderson’s health. The Ontario native managed to avoid any major injuries last year, but that hasn’t always been the case -- he's reached the 70-game mark just three times in his career -- so Montreal might be put in a position where they’ll have to make do without Anderson for a significant chunk of 2024-25.

Joel Armia

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
73	16	14	30	0.41

Armia had 17 goals and 25 points in 66 contests last season, and for him, that’s a rather successful campaign. He averaged just 12:22 of ice time at even strength last season while serving primarily in a bottom-six capacity, but he logged a considerable 2:53 per game on the penalty kill. Taken as a whole, Armia is a fine defensive player, but despite being 6-foot-3, 216 pounds, he’s not a major physical presence -- at least not anymore. He did surpass the 100-hit mark in three of four campaigns from 2018-19 through 2021-22, but he was credited for just 49 hits last year, so it seems the 31-year-old has pulled back from that aspect of his game. Armia has one season left on his four-year, $13.6 million contract, so it will be interesting to see if the Finnish forward does a bit better this year while fighting for his next deal, but it’s not likely to make that much of a difference. Armia will continue to provide some value for the Canadiens in a way that doesn’t show up much on the stats sheet.

Alex Newhook

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	16	30	46	0.60

Montreal tried to accelerate their path to competitive hockey when they dealt two draft picks and prospect Gianni Fairbrother to Colorado in exchange for the then 22-year-old Newhook in June of 2023. Taken with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Newhook was seen as having top-six potential but wasn’t getting that opportunity in Colorado. In his first campaign with the Canadiens, Newhook missed a significant chunk of time due to an ankle injury but did show some promise when healthy, scoring 15 goals and 34 points across 55 contests. He averaged a healthy 16:56 of ice time, including 3:02 with the man advantage, which led to him recording eight power-play points. However, he didn’t often share the ice at even strength with Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki or Cole Caufield. Although it’s possible that trio of young skilled forwards will primarily play together this year while Newhook headlines the second line, it would be interesting if the Canadiens spread out their offense a bit more, and such a move would likely be to Newhook’s benefit, so it’s worth keeping an eye on those line combinations during training camp. Whatever path Montreal takes, Newhook is brimming with potential and should take a significant step forward in 2024-25 if he stays healthy.

Jake Evans

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	8	22	30	0.37

Evans is a great third or fourth-line center who can also be leaned on heavily in shorthanded situations. He provided seven goals and 28 points in 82 contests last season. He also had a minus-one rating, which isn’t bad given the rebuilding squad he’s playing for, though his relative 5v5 CF%/FF% of minus-2.5/-3.2 tells a less appealing story about his play at even strength. On the plus side, he won 593 draws, leading to a respectable 52.2 percent success rate on the draw. He also blocked 65 shots, which is quite a bit for a forward. Now 28 years old, Evans is what he is. The Ontario native isn’t going to make headlines, but he will fulfill his role capably. It’s worth remembering that he’s in the final season of his three-year, $5.1 million contract, and he’s the type of depth forward contending teams take an interest in during the trade deadline. If Montreal isn’t competing for a playoff spot by that time, it would make a lot of sense for Evans to be traded.

Juraj Slafkovsky

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
82	25	38	63	0.77

Montreal locked up Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield to long-term contracts before they firmly established what they would become. It was a risky decision, but it paid off with each of those deals now looking awfully team-friendly, so naturally the Canadiens took the same approach by inking Slafkovsky to an eight-year, $60.8 million contract that won’t even begin until 2025-26. Selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, that $7.6 million annual cap hit might end up looking like a steal, especially with the cap starting to go up at a meaningful pace. However, that’s assuming he continues to make strides after an encouraging 2023-24 campaign. He had 20 goals, 50 points, 55 PIM, 71 blocks and 152 hits in 82 contests last season. Unlike Suzuki and Caufield, who offer plenty of skill, but not much grit, Slafkovsky has the makings of a power forward at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds. He spent most of his even-strength minutes in 2023-24 on the ice with Caufield and Suzuki, and the fact that he could serve in that physical capacity helped balance that top line. However, it would be interesting to see if Montreal experiments with breaking up that trio in the interest of better balancing the team’s offense over two lines. Outside of those three forwards and defenseman Mike Matheson, no other member of the Canadiens even reached the 40-point mark, and while that was in part due to Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach running into injury troubles, the Canadiens’ lines being so top-heavy was another factor. While playing on the top line would doubtlessly be ideal for the 20-year-old Slafkovsky, his value isn’t dependent on his linemates, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him elevate his game beyond his 2023-24 showing.

Kirby Dach

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
74	15	43	58	0.78

Injuries have become a major problem for Dach. He was limited to 18 games in 2020-21, 58 contests in 2022-23 and then logged just two appearances last season before suffering a torn right ACL and MCL that required surgery. At least he’s expected to be healthy for the start of 2024-25, but history has unfortunately told us to be weary of his chances of playing a full campaign -- his career high in games still stands at just 70. If he were to stay healthy, though, the 23-year-old would likely log big minutes as a top-six forward and possibly even hold a spot on Montreal’s top power-play unit. Under those circumstances, a 50-point showing would be entirely feasible, should he stay healthy. That might not be his offensive peak either. Although he’s had a rough career thus far, Dach does have a significant amount of untapped upside, and the Alberta native is still young enough to potentially reach the promise that Chicago saw when he was taken with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. As things stand right now, though, betting on Dach to succeed would be risky. At least, he’s a manageable risk from Montreal’s perspective due to his relatively low $3,362,500 annual cap hit through 2025-26.

DEFENSE

Michael Matheson

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	12	48	60	0.74

Matheson is shaping up to be something of a late bloomer from an offensive perspective, but that’s in part because of his changing circumstances. Back during his tenures with Florida and Pittsburgh, he reached the 20-point mark four times over five campaigns while seeing limited use on the power play. Once he joined Montreal, though, the Quebec native was leaned on heavily with the man advantage and he took full advantage. Matheson recorded 11 goals and a career-high 62 points in 82 contests last season, including 28 power-play points. He also averaged 25:33 of ice time, which is the most in his career, and a big jump compared to his 18:44 per game during his two campaigns with Pittsburgh in 2020-21 and 2021-22. Those massive minutes with Montreal included an average of 2:59 on the penalty kill last year. He also took more defensive zone faceoffs than offensive ones, which further highlights that he was more than just an offensive blueliner for the Canadiens. Matheson also finished in a tie for 10th in the league with 186 blocks. Montreal will probably lean on him heavily again this season, but the Canadiens do have a crop of young defensemen who should eventually grow into bigger roles.

David Savard

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
64	6	16	22	0.34

Savard is a defensive defenseman is the back half of his career. He’s been something of a stabilizing force for the Canadiens on the blue line for the past three years, though his time with the squad might be drawing to a close as Montreal’s younger defensemen start to come into their own while Savard is entering the final campaign of his four-year, $14 million contract. The 33-year-old (34 on Oct. 22) had six goals, 24 points, 24 PIM, 163 blocks and 69 hits across 60 contests last season. He might do a little worse offensively in this campaign, and in particular he’ll probably score fewer goals after posting a 11.1 shooting percentage last season (his career average is 4.9). However, he should continue to put himself in front of a lot of shots and will be one of the Canadiens’ main penalty killers. Savard might also end up getting dealt at the trade deadline if Montreal isn’t in a playoff position. That worked out for him at the end of his previous contract with Columbus -- the Blue Jackets traded him to Tampa Bay in April 2021, and he provided the Lightning with valuable defensive depth en route to a Stanley Cup championship. If he does get moved, though, his playing time will probably decrease compared to the 20:14 of ice time he averaged in 2023-24 as stronger teams would likely prefer him in a third-pairing role.

Kaiden Guhle

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	7	23	30	0.38

Montreal’s defense is led by two veterans in Michael Matheson and David Savard, but past that is a group of young blueliners beginning to establish themselves. At the forefront of the new wave of Canadiens defensemen is Guhle, who recorded six goals, 22 points, 56 PIM, 178 blocks and 116 hits in 70 contests last season while averaging 20:51 of ice time. Not ready to shift into offseason mode after the Canadiens’ campaign ended, he joined Team Canada for the World Championship, providing a goal and five points in nine contests during the tournament. Guhle has the potential to develop into a great two-way defenseman, though he’s always likely to lean more toward the defensive side of the game. That bias towards defense over offense is clear in how Montreal has been utilizing him so far, sending him out frequently on the penalty kill, but rarely on the power play. He also had 17.2 percent of his shifts start in the defensive zone compared to just 7.5 percent in the offensive zone. Guhle is expected to continue to be used more at his own end of the ice, and he’s unlikely to secure a regular role on the power play this season unless injuries force the Canadiens into a major change. Even still, we might see a modest increase in the 22-year-old’s scoring production as he continues to get comfortable in the NHL.

GOAL

Samuel Montembeault

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
44	19	20	5	2	0.904	2.93

Cayden Primeau

Predicted Stats
GP	W	L	OT	SO	SV%	GAA
38	17	17	4	1	0.902	3.12

The Montreal Canadiens are officially in their rebuilding era - but not in net, at least not yet. The Canadiens focused their off-season efforts on shoring up scoring, leaving the tandem of Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau - serviceable, if a bit unspectacular as a pair - to go it alone without a locker room veteran to round out the goaltending carousel. Montembeault and Primeau both sat comfortably right at the league average last season, with Primeau putting up the better raw performances while Montembeault favored better in terms of shouldering a heavier workload. And that, given how poorly the rest of the Montreal lineup performed, is about all the team could have asked for.

The loss of Carey Price as the team's rock and guiding force still stings, though, and even serviceable performances from a pair of affordable netminders felt a bit underwhelming in the aftermath of a starter who dragged even the most inconsistent of teams up into contending territory. That legacy adds an extra layer of pressure for both of next year's starters, who will be expected to at the very least replicate their solid performance from last year. The real spotlight will be on Primeau, who was once considered the heir apparent to Price's throne. But if the addition of Patrik Laine can ignite some scorepower up front for Montreal, the pressure will be on both Primeau and Montembeault to help elevate the team out of the basement as well.

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – MONTREAL CANADIENS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Player Profiles + Team Preview – Ryan Dadoun, Goaltending – Catherine Silverman — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 15:58:53 +0000

MONTREAL, QC - NOVEMBER 22: Cole Caufield (22) of the Montreal Canadiens waits for the puck during the first period of the NHL game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens on November 22, 2022, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire)

Review: After posting a 22-49-11 record in 2021-22, the Canadiens were looking for incremental steps last year and that’s what they got. Nick Suzuki put forth his second straight 60-plus point campaign and is looking like a solid cornerstone of the Canadiens’ future. Cole Caufield was encouraging too with 26 goals and 36 points in 46 contests, though a shoulder injury complicated matters. Injuries were unfortunately a recurring theme for Montreal with forwards Kirby Dach, Jonathan Drouin, Sean Monahan and top defenseman Mike Matheson all missing significant chunks of time. Goaltender Sam Montembeault was able to stay healthy, but he had a miserable time, posting a 3.42 GAA and .901 save percentage in 40 contests. To be fair, Montreal ranked 30th in five-on-five expected goals against (203.85), so Montembeault wasn’t getting any support from those in front of him. With all that hardship, the Canadiens’ 31-45-6 record could be seen as the smallest of wins, especially given that it was a 13-point improvement compared to the prior campaign.

What’s Changed?Drouin walked as an unrestricted free agent, but Montreal was still able to bolster its promising young forward group with the acquisition of Alex Newhookfrom Colorado. The Canadiens also acquired Casey DeSmith from Pittsburgh, adding another veteran to their goaltending mix.

What would success look like? There’s so much potential here. If Monahan stays healthy and performs like he was in 2022-23 before getting hurt, then a bounce back to 50 points is possible. If Caufield also remains healthy then he might breach the 30-goal and 60-point marks for the first time. If head coach Martin St. Louis can guide Newhook like he has some of Montreal’s other young forwards, then the 22-year-old might be in line for a breakout year. If Slafkovsky, taken first overall in 2022, had a good summer and takes some of the lessons from his subpar rookie campaign, he could breakout too.

What could go wrong? If ifif. So much could break the Canadiens’ way, but Montreal is dealing with a lot of unknowns. By far the worst of it is this: Even if everything outlined above happens, the Canadiens could still miss the playoffs. The defense was horrendous last year and is likely to lag the growth of the offense. In goal there’s no clear solution, even after adding DeSmith, who struggled with Pittsburgh last year. Plus, the competition in the Atlantic Division is tough, making the margin for error slim.

Top Breakout Candidate:It’s got to be Caufield. After all, the 2022-23 campaign would have been his breakout season if not for injury. Of all the “ifs” outlined above, he’s the closest Montreal has to a sure thing. The talent is clearly there and even with all the ups, downs and injuries he’s gone through, Caufield still has accumulated 49 goals over the past two years. There should be a lot more scoring in his future.

Forwards

Nick Suzuki - C

Montreal is building a promising young core of forwards, and Suzuki is at the center of that movement. After becoming the 31st captain in Montreal’s storied history before the season began, the Canadien center showed why he’s the new face of the franchise by scoring 26 goals and 66 points in 82 contests. That gave him a staggering 28-point cushion over Kirby Dach, who finished second in the scoring race. Part of the reason Suzuki easily led the team in points was because Dach and Cole Caufield were held back by injuries, finishing with 58 and 46 games played, respectively, in 2022-23, but that also makes what Suzuki did more impressive. Under ideal circumstances, he would have played regularly with Dach and Caufield, but that trio only amounted to just 27.2% of Suzuki’s even-strength minutes. Suzuki ended up dealing with a revolving door of linemates, which was far from a good position for him, but he managed to perform regardless. A combination of injuries and the team still being in a rebuilding state also left Montreal 29th on the power play with just a 16.1% success rate. Suzuki was leaned on heavily with the man advantage and recorded a team-best 17 power-play points, but one must wonder how he might do if the Canadiens overall improved in that regard. The good news is the rest of the young core should start catching up to the 24-year-old, giving him more to work with. Coupled with Suzuki’s own continued development, there’s a fair chance he’ll reach the 70-point mark for the first time, if not higher.

Cole Caufield - LW

Montreal signed Caufield to an eight-year, $62.8 million contract over the summer. It is quite the commitment to make to a forward who has never recorded more than 43 points in a single season, but in this case, it could be a steal for the Canadiens. Caufield’s career has gotten off to a promising start, though there have also been major roadblocks. He struggled terribly under head coach Dominique Ducharme during the 2021-22 campaign, posting a goal and eight points in 30 outings, but once Ducharme was replaced by Martin St. Louis, Caufield underwent a complete reversal, scoring 22 goals and 35 points in 37 contests. Standing at 5’ 7”, Caufield’s size has been a point of concern for a while.Which is something St. Louis can relate to, having faced the same sort of questions during his playing days, so it seems appropriate that the new bench boss was able to get the most out of the creative winger. The 22-year-old’s success under St. Louis continued into the 2022-23 campaign with him scoring 26 goals and 36 points in 46 games through Jan. 19th before shoulder problems ended his season. He did show determination before that though, having separated his shoulder Dec. 23, he attempted to remain in the lineup after it was popped back in. However, after it happened again Jan. 3rd, the recommendation was made to undergo surgery. Even then, Caufield said he would have pushed through it if Montreal was in the running for a playoff spot. So long as he stays healthy, Caufield should easily set new career highs and maybe even flirt with the 40-goal milestone.

Josh Anderson - RW

Anderson is the type of player that teams always value and sometimes overvalue: the big forward who isn’t afraid to use his strength to make life miserable for the opposition while also not looking completely out of place with the puck on his stick. Anderson had 21 goals and 32 points in 69 contests last season, making it the sixth time in seven years he’s finished above 15 goals (the lone exception being 2019-20 when he was limited to 26 games) and the second time in his career he’s surpassed the 20-goal milestone. That’s an okay level of production, but it’s nowhere near enough to warrant his $5.5 million cap hit. It’s his gritty play – he recorded 72 PIM and 139 hits last season – that makes him come even close to justifying his pay. Unfortunately, Anderson’s aggressive style has come at a cost, with the 29-year-old missing 26 contests over the last two years. Injuries are going to continue to be a point of concern, especially after his 2022-23 campaign ended due to a high-ankle sprain sustained March 22nd. If he can stay healthy, then Anderson might earn an opportunity on the top line, creating space for 5’ 7” Cole Caufield and 5’ 11”Nick Suzuki. That role won’t lead to the towering forward being an offensive force in his own right, but his presence will be good news for his linemates.

Kirby Dach - RW

When the Blackhawks selected Dach with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, they were looking at a big center who could skate well and was tough to lodge the puck from once it was in his possession. He didn’t end up doing much with Chicago though, despite getting every opportunity, and after being limited to nine goals and 26 points in 70 contests in 2021-22, it was decided that a change of scenery might be in his best interests. The Canadiens clearly thought they could get the most out of Dach, sacrificing the 2022 No. 13 and No. 66 overall picks to get him and, so far, that bet has worked out. He set career highs with 14 goals and 38 points in 58 contests with the Canadiens last season despite playing just four games past Feb. 14th due to injury troubles. Montreal often had him shift to the wing to work alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, complementing the smaller forwards with his size. Depending on who is healthy to open the campaign, Dach might find himself pushed off the top line in favor of fellow big man Josh Anderson, but even if that happens, the 22-year-old should still play big minutes, likely alongside Sean Monahan and Brendan Gallagher. Dach is also expected to stay on the top power-play unit regardless, which is important given that 16 of his 38 points last year came with the man advantage. There is reason for cautious optimism here and to hope that, provided Dach stays healthy, he’ll reach the 50-point milestone.

Christian Dvorak - C

Dvorak can be best described as fine. He had 10 goals and 28 points in 64 appearances last season, which is a bit below average for him, but not enough of a decline to be startling. He’s never reached the 40-point milestone, and the 27-year-old probably never will, especially if injuries keep getting in the way. He didn’t play past March 7th last season because of a knee issue that led to surgery and hasn’t participated in over 70 games in a single campaign since 2017-18. Still, when he is available, he’s okay defensively, helps kill penalties (finished fourth on Montreal with an average shorthanded ice time of 2:18) and is an asset on the draw (had a 52% faceoff success rate last season and is at 52.4% over his career). That’s not enough to get people excited about Dvorak, but at least it justifies using him to center the third or, when necessary, second line, despite his mediocre offensive output. It’s also sufficient to make his $4.45 million cap hit acceptable and potentially even make him a trade candidate if a contender is looking for depth up the middle at the deadline. Regardless of who he plays for though, Dvorak is likely to be fine, and nothing more.

Brendan Gallagher - RW

There was a time when Gallagher was a glue player for the Canadiens thanks to his work ethic and goal-scoring prowess, but his six-year, $39 million contract, which began with the 2021-22 campaign, is shaping up to be a disaster. After surpassing the 30-goal milestone in each of 2017-18 and 2018-19, followed by him contributing 22 goals and 43 points in 59 outings in 2019-20, the 31-year-old has failed to even record 25 points in any of the last three seasons. Last year was a new low for him, finishing with eight goals and 14 points in 37 contests. Ankle issues took a toll, but even when he was healthy, Gallagher wasn’t productive, with his 0.38 points per game being a career worst. Even on a rebuilding quad, Gallagher also saw his role diminish, from an average of 16:55 of ice time in 2019-20 to 14:17 last season. The silver lining is he’s healthy going into the 2023-24 campaign and feels upbeat about how his offseason training went. There’s also an opportunity for him to play a bigger role after Montreal parted ways with Mike Hoffman and Jonathan Drouin over the summer. Gallagher is still a big risk going into the season, but those at least provide some reasons to hope for a bounce back campaign.

Alex Newhook - LW

Opportunities have been hard to come by for Newhook. Taken by Colorado with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, he served primarily in a bottom-six role with the Avalanche, consequently providing just 27 goals and 63 points in 153 contests over the last two years. A change of scenery was warranted and, after Montreal’s acquisition of Kirby Dach worked out perfectly a year prior, the Canadiens decided to see if lightning would strike twice by trading for Newhook over the summer. However, while Dach was a nice fit for Montreal’s top-six, Newhook again might struggle to get an opportunity. Newhook is a natural center, but between Nick Suzuki occupying that slot on the first line, Dach or Sean Monahan likely taking the second unit position and Christian Dvorak being a natural fit for the third line, Newhook is probably going to have to shift to the wing. Even then, there’s no guarantee he’ll find a top-six spot and might instead serve on the third line. However, that scenario only works if everyone stays healthy. While Newhook has managed to be durable, several of Montreal’s skilled forwards haven’t been as reliable. Combine that with Newhook’s versatility to slot in as a winger or center, and he might be the first forward to move up to a top-six role if Montreal runs into injury issues. With that in mind, the 22-year-old will be someone to keep an eye on, because while at first glance he seems like a fair bet to record 30-40 points, circumstances might lead to this being a bigger season for him.

Sean Monahan - C

The 2022-23 campaign was one that offered a glimmer of hope for Monahan, but in some ways, it was also his most disheartening yet. After undergoing hip surgery in 2021 and then again in 2022, Calgary was ready to move on. He was far removed from his 82-point campaign in 2018-19, recording just eight goals and 23 points in 65 contests in 2021-22, making him a liability even when healthy. The rebuilding Canadiens were happy to accept Monahan along with a conditional 2025 first-round pick in exchange for covering the final season of his seven-year, $44.625 million contract. Montreal gave Monahan a chance to serve as a top-six forward, and he rewarded them by recording six goals and 17 points in 25 outings. In terms of points per game, it was his best showing since 2019-20, but he didn’t play past Dec. 5th due to a foot injury followed by season-ending groin surgery. Montreal still liked him enough to ink him to a one-year, $2 million contract over the summer, but the short-term nature of the deal underscores the risk he still comes with. Monahan is penciled in to start the season as the Canadiens’ second-line center, but will his body allow him to do that over the course of an 82-game campaign? After all, he’s now undergone three surgeries in as many years. Even if he does stay healthy, how productive will he be? He showed promise in 2022-23, but 25 games are hardly an ideal sample size. The 28-year-old (29 on Oct. 12) is at very least a comeback candidate, but a high-risk one.

Juraj Slafkovsky - LW

First overall picks are often expected to be ready to compete in the NHL right away and many are up for that challenge. At first glance, Slafkovsky, who was taken by Montreal with the top pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, appeared ready to step into the world’s best league. Not only did the 6’ 3”, 238-pound forward already possess NHL size, but he had experience playing with adults after scoring five goals and 10 points in 31 games with TPS Turku of the Finnish League in 2021-22. Slafkovsky also participated in the 2022 Winter Olympics, scoring seven goals in seven contests with Slovakia and contributed another three goals and nine points in eight outings during the 2022 World Championships. Despite that, he was limited to four goals and 10 points in 39 contests as a rookie with Montreal. To be fair, injuries, which prevented him from playing past Jan. 15th, contributed to his poor showing. Coach Martin St. Louis also attempted to ease him into the lineup, giving the Slovakian native an average of just 12:13 of ice time, which significantly reduced his offensive opportunities. There was a silver lining though, because while he wasn’t a big threat with the puck, Slafkovsky did utilize his size, recording 33 PIM and 53 hits. Unfortunately, in the short-term, he might continue to serve in a bottom-six role. Slafkovsky has the potential to eventually establish himself as a top liner, but it might be a few years before we see that side of him.

Joel Armia - RW

Although two seasons remain on Armia’s two-year, $13.6 million contract, he probably isn’t part of Montreal’s long-term plans. The 30-year-old is far removed from the Canadiens' rebuild-driven youth movement and while Armia is entering his sixth campaign with Montreal, it would be a stretch to call him a staple of the team. Injuries have played a role in that, with Armia failing to log more than 60 contests in any year with the Habs, but his relative lack of offensive contributions – he’s recorded just 20 goals and 42 points in 144 contests over the last three seasons – also make him easy to overlook. Still, the Finnish winger has his uses. He’s fine defensively and can be confidently plugged in on the penalty kill. He’s also got size at 6-foot-3, 216 pounds, and while he's not the most physical forward out there, he has dished out 6.58 hits per 60 minutes over the last three campaigns, which was good for sixth on Montreal in that span (min. 50 games). Looking ahead, Armia should be penciled in on the Canadiens’ third line, though their younger forwards might do enough to lodge him from that position. It wouldn’t be surprising if his average ice time in 2023-24 dipped below the 14:57 he saw last season, and he might even see some time as a healthy scratch.

Defense

Mike Matheson - D

Acquired by Montreal from Pittsburgh over the summer of 2022 as part of the Jeff Petry trade, Matheson was given a golden opportunity with the Canadiens. He averaged a respectable 18:48 of ice time in Pittsburgh while providing 11 goals and 31 points in 74 contests in 2021-22, but Montreal saw Matheson as its clear No. 1 defenseman. With that in mind, Matheson jumped to 24:27 per game last season, including an average of 3:11 with the man advantage. Injury troubles during the first half of the campaign prevented 2022-23 from being a true breakout season, but he was still incredible when healthy, contributing eight goals and 34 points (nine on the power play) in 48 outings. He also helped kill penalties, blocked 80 shots and, while plus/minus always needs to be taken with a grain of salt, finished with a plus-seven rating on a rebuilding squad. In other words, he was everything Montreal could have hoped for and then some. To make matters better, the Canadiens will get three more years of Matheson at a $4.875 million cap hit. His injury history is a concern – which is a recurring theme when evaluating Canadiens players – but if he can stay healthy, then it’s not unrealistic to believe he can finish with 50-60 points in 2023-24.

David Savard - D

Savard is 32 years old and will turn 33 on Oct. 22, so he might be in the twilight of his career by the time Montreal’s rebuild is in the rearview mirror. However, he deserves a lot of credit for doing the hard work now that might serve as the foundation of the team in the future. The Quebec native sacrificed himself last year, blocking a career-high 176 shots despite playing in just 62 contests, while also serving in a leading role on the penalty kill and acting as a mentor for the team’s young defenders. That culminated in him receiving Montreal’s Jacques Beauchamp Trophy, which goes to the player deemed most dominant without earning any other honor and can be seen as a way to highlight otherwise underappreciated players. One person who clearly didn’t underappreciate him was head coach Martin St. Louis, who asked Savard to average 22:23 of ice time. As younger defensemen like Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris, Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron start to come into their own, Savard could find himself being gradually phased out. The veteran blueliner is still likely to see good minutes this season, but he probably won’t find himself second to only Mike Matheson in average ice time again. Even if Savard’s role doesn’t decrease, he’s not much of an offensive threat and shouldn’t be counted on to meaningfully exceed his 2022-23 totals of three goals and 20 points.

Kaiden Guhle - D

Guhle is far from the Canadiens’ only young defenseman, but he might be theirmost promising one. He’s got size and knows how to get the most out of that advantage, both with his physical play and by competing in tough areas. Adored more for his defensive skills, he wasn’t seen as having a ton of offensive upside when he was selected with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, but that aspect of his game has developed nicely, making him a factor in all situations. With that skill set, rather than ease him into the lineup, Montreal asked Guhle to play an average of 20:31 of ice time in his rookie campaign, and he responded by recording four goals, 18 points, 27 PIM, 77 blocks and 84 hits in 44 outings last season. It was a strong showing, to the point where he might have even garnered a small amount of Calder Trophy consideration if injuries hadn’t gotten in the way. As it is, he’s primed to have a solid sophomore campaign. His power-play ice time was limited to 0:35 per game last season, but all Guhle’s offensive production as a rookie came at even-strength anyways, so it’s not unreasonable to believe he can flirt with the 30-point milestone even without being usedon the man advantage. The 21-year-old is also a good bet to surpass the 150 mark in each of blocks and hits provided he can stay healthy.

Goaltending

Samuel Montembeault - G

Even five years ago, no one would have believed it if someone had told them that the Montreal Canadiens would be spending the final half of goaltender Carey Price’s contract scrambling to figure out who on Earth to start each night in net – and even fewer would have believed that former Florida Panthers prospect Samuel Montembeault would be leading the charge for a rotating trio including himself, former St. Louis Blues starter Jake Allen, and former Pittsburgh Penguins backup Casey DeSmith.

But of all the options Montreal has to choose from, Montembeault may be their most reliable. Although the team has struggled and fallen firmly into rebuild territory, the 26-year-old backstop made the best of the situation. His raw numbers weren’t overly impressive, but his goals saved above expected put him in the conversation for goaltenders who made the most with the least league-wide; he was able to scrape together the best performance of anyone in Montreal over the last few years, despite being a mid-season pickup initially only brought on board to help the team weather the storm of too many injuries. He plays a fairly goal line-based game, preferring to utilize an impressive lower-body game and above-average flexibility to seal off the bottom of the net but staying on his feet on his goal line for longer to prevent holes from opening up at the top of the goal itself. And perhaps most importantly for Montreal, he does well preventing rebounds; while some goaltenders thrive spitting the puck back out into traffic, the somewhat disjointed structure in front of Montembeault and Allen last season made it difficult to have much faith in what might happen if the puck stayed in play after a first or second shot. That likely isn’t enough to push Montreal back out of the basement just yet, but it should be enough to keep them from entering free-fall – which might be all they’re asking for.

Projected starts: 55-60

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK: A full roster of under the radar fantasy all stars – Pool winning picks!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 12:59:33 +0000

FANTASY ALL-STARS

Unearthing hidden treasures is the name of the game in fantasy hockey and if you hit on enough of them, that can make all the difference in your fantasy fortunes.

One of the staples of fantasy hockey is the quest to find relative value. That gets harder at the top of the board because those players are already valued so highly. The way to make a difference, then, is to capture a middle or late-round pick that can perform like a star.

Drafting stars is cool, and should be the focus early, but have you ever hit on a late-round pick? That is the big rush of fantasy hockey, right there.

There are a few paths to travel to find candidates for the Fantasy All-Star team.

Healthy Again

Injuries are a plague for fantasy hockey managers just as much as they are for real hockey general managers, but that can also be used to an advantage. Players coming back from injury will almost assuredly be underrated the following season, whether it is due to lingering uncertainty over their health or just poor counting stats from the previous season. With the miracles of modern medicine, players can come back from major injuries and produce at a high level, and there are several intriguing candidates that qualify this year.

Raising Their Game

With an average of 3.15 goals per game for each team, last season was the highest scoring season since 1993-1994. There were 61 players that played at least 50 games and scored more than 0.90 points per game in 2022-2023.

Among the players to cross that threshold last season were defensemen Dougie Hamilton, Brandon Montour, and Rasmus Dahlin, as well as forwards Brock Nelson, Clayton Keller, Zach Hyman, Tim Stützle, Alex Tuch, Tage Thompson, Elias Pettersson, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Finding the player who busts out is tons of fun, but it has the bonus of paying off in a big way for your fantasy squad.

Regression Comes for Everyone

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to percentages and sustainability, because while one might be inclined to say it’s impossible for a player to score on 20% of his shots over the long haul, Leon Draisaitl exists, having scored on 20.2% of his shots over a five-year period. It’s possible to do it, but Draisaitl is the only one doing it, so there can be a fine line between impossible and virtually impossible.

This is about playing the odds here, which means if a player has an established track record, that should hold more weight in the evaluation than one season’s fluctuating percentages, especially when they look like an aberration compared to previous seasons.

Opportunity Knocks

There are so many skilled players in the NHL that, sometimes, all it takes is a better opportunity to open the door to better results. Maybe that is moving to the top power play or getting bumped up the depth chart a line or two. Joining the right linemate can make a difference.

Last season, the Fantasy All-Stars hit on Jack Hughes, Tyler Toffoli, Casey Mittelstadt, Miro Heiskanen, Vince Dunn, and Alexandar Georgiev. Boone Jenner, Lawson Crouse, and Radko Gudas at least met expectations, and Logan Thompson was on his way to fulfilling his Fantasy All-Star status before suffering a season-ending injury.

Capturing a few of these players should increase your chances of winning a championship and make it more fun if you get there.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 23: Ducks center Mason McTavish (37) stickhandles during the Anaheim Ducks versus Washington Capitals National Hockey League game on February 23, 2023 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

Mason McTavish, C, Anaheim

This could very well be a season too soon for McTavish to have a breakout. After all, he is just 20 years old, but the third pick in the 2021 Draft flashed enough potential in his rookie season to believe that he is destined for bigger and better things. The most intriguing part of McTavish’s rookie campaign was his power play role, getting the chance to pull the trigger on one-timers from the right faceoff circle, on his way to scoring seven power play goals. Greg Cronin is the new bench boss for the Ducks, and it only makes sense for him to do everything he can to help McTavish develop into a star, which should mean more ice time and a chance to make a big leap in his sophomore season. Finally, McTavish also had an on-ice shooting percentage of 7.5%, which is relatively low, so he should be due for better luck in the offensive zone, too.

Connor Brown, RW, Edmonton

A reliable veteran winger who is a two-time 20-goal scorer, Brown was limited to just four games in Washington last season after tearing his ACL. The most appealing part of Brown’s equation is that he could get a shot on Connor McDavid’s right side, and that’s a new opportunity for a player whose career high is 43 points. Brown, who was McDavid’s junior teammate for one season with the Erie Otters, has averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time per game in two of his NHL seasons, so he is used to handling significant responsibility, but he could be looking at his best offensive opportunity as a pro.

Max Pacioretty, LW, Washington

After tearing his Achilles tendon twice last season, Pacioretty has had a long road of recovery. He is a 34-year-old winger who is coming off devastating injuries, but that is precisely why he offers potential value for fantasy managers. Injuries have dogged Pacioretty, as he has played just 92 total games over the past three seasons, but that has not diminished his ability to generate shots and put the puck in the net. He is a five-time 30-goal scorer who will have a chance to play a big role for the Capitals.

Yegor Sharangovich, RW, Calgary

Sharangovich faded out of the Devils lineup last season, scoring three goals in his last 41 regular-season games, and only dressing for three playoff contests before he was traded as part of the deal for Tyler Toffoli. Sharangovich did score 24 goals in 2021-2022, so he has already shown that he can put the puck in the net. As a big winger who can skate, he looks like he could have a new opportunity in Calgary, possibly getting a chance to skate on the top line, with Jonathan Huberdeau and Elias Lindholm, which would offer higher offensive upside and a consistent spot on a scoring line could turn Sharangovich loose.

Taylor Hall, LW, Chicago

Not only did Hall miss 21 games for Boston with injuries last season, but he also played less than 16 minutes per game for the first time in his career. Joining a Chicago team that is desperate for talent to support No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard, Hall should be in a great position to have a significant role on what will likely be a bad team. If only there was something in his past to suggest that he could be productive in such a role.

Pavel Zacha, C, Boston

Not many teams have a No. 1 center by default, but it looks like that will be the case with Zacha and the Bruins, after Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci both retired. Zacha jumped to a career-high 57 points last season, the first time in his career that he had more than 36 points, but if he ends up skating with David Pastrnak, or Brad Marchand, or both, and possibly getting first unit power play time, then Zacha will have the chance to produce even more.

Tyler Bertuzzi, LW, Toronto

The agitating winger played just 50 games last season and scored only eight goals, thanks to a career-low shooting percentage of 7.5%. He did rebound with five goals and 10 points in Boston’s seven-game first-round loss to Florida. Signing in Toronto as a free agent, Bertuzzi should have a shot to play on the top line, and if Michael Bunting could score skating alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, there is no reason to believe that Bertuzzi wouldn’t be able to fill the net, too.

Barrett Hayton, C, Arizona

Despite showing brief flashes of talent, Hayton has struggled to generate much offense since getting drafted fifth overall in 2018. It looked like more of the same last season but then he got his shot on the Coyotes’ top line, skating between Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz. Suddenly Hayton was scoring to the tune of 29 points (14 G, 15 A) in his last 35 games, and should be ready to produce right from the start of the 2023-2024 season.

Anthony Duclair, RW, San Jose

Although he only scored two goals in 20 games after recovering from a torn Achilles last season, Duclair was still generating chances. Among players who skated at least 200 five-on-five minutes last season, Duclair ranked 25^th with 1.08 individual expected goals per 60 minutes, the same rate as Alex Ovechkin, Jeff Skinner, and Evander Kane, all of whom will go well before Duclair on draft day. Going to San Jose ought to give Duclair a chance to earn a prominent role, because the Sharks need to give serious ice time to anyone who shows that they can play.

Lucas Raymond, LW, Detroit

Although Raymond saw his point total drop from 57 as a rookie to 45 as a sophomore last season, he also had an on-ice shooting percentage of 7.7%, which is not typical of a player skating in the top six. In Detroit, there is a decent chance that 21-year-old Raymond could find himself playing with Dylan Larkin and offseason addition Alex DeBrincat, which gives Raymond highly skilled linemates who have the offensive pedigree to take their production to a higher level and drag Raymond along for the ride.

Arthur Kaliyev, RW, Los Angeles

A 22-year-old with a lethal shot, Kaliyev has been limited to an average time on ice of 12:16 per game in his first two seasons, scoring 27 goals in 137 games. However, that leaves plenty of room for improvement and he just might have a chance to skate on a line with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kevin Fiala, which would be a massive upgrade in linemates for Kaliyev. Even in a depth role, Kaliyev had 1.10 individual expected goals per 60 minutes last season, which ranked 16^th among skaters to play at least 500 five-on-five minutes. Imagine what he could do if he gets to skate regularly with linemates as skilled as Dubois and Fiala.

Jonathan Drouin, LW, Colorado

While the 28-year-old has shown glimpses of potential throughout his career, he has not been very durable lately and is coming off a season in which he scored two goals in 58 games. This is why he should be available late in drafts, but there is also the possibility that, moving to Colorado, Drouin could play with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen on the top line, which is about as good as it gets. MacKinnon was the top point producer in the league at five-on-five last season and Drouin, his junior hockey teammate, could thrive in his new situation.

MONTREAL, QC - Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard (75) (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

DEFENSE

Evan Bouchard, D, Edmonton

Once Tyson Barrie was traded to Nashville last season, that opened the door for Bouchard to secure his spot with Edmonton’s top power play unit and that is a gold mine for point production. Following the trade deadline last season, Bouchard produced 19 points (5 G, 14 A) in 20 games, then added 17 points (4 G, 13 A) in 12 playoff games. Given a full season on the insanely productive Oilers power play, Bouchard is the defenseman most likely to see a massive scoring spike this season.

Shea Theodore, D, Vegas

While he could have an even higher ceiling with a bigger role on the Vegas power play, Theodore did produce 1.71 points per 60 during five-on-five play last season, to rank second among defensemen, behind only Erik Karlsson. Theodore has established his credentials as a high-end defenseman, but he also missed 27 games last season and is still second behind Alex Pietrangelo when it comes to quarterbacking the Golden Knights’ power play, so Theodore still might be a bit underrated.

Juuso Valimaki, D, Arizona

Arizona bringing in Sean Durzi and Matthew Dumba does mean that Valimaki is facing more competition for power play minutes in Arizona, but Valimaki was an outstanding performer when given the opportunity to play big minutes at evens last season. J.J. Moser ended up with more power play time than Valimaki, too, so the power play might be a tough situation but, with the Coyotes improving their roster, there should be more chances for Valimaki to contribute.

Gustav Forsling, D, Florida

With Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour both coming off shoulder surgery, Forsling may have an opportunity quarterback Florida’s top power play to start the season, to say nothing of the need for him to anchor the Panthers’ defense at even strength as well. Forsling has 59 five-on-five points in the past two seasons, which ranks 12^th among defensemen and is just one point behind Montour, so anything that would give him more offensive opportunities seems like a good idea.

Mike Matheson, D, Montreal

The veteran blueliner was excellent upon joining the Canadiens last season in a small sample, scoring a career high 34 points (8 G, 26 A) in just 48 games, while playing a career high 24:27 per game. It appears that Matheson should be Montreal’s top power play defenseman from the start of the season and that opportunity alone gives him the chance to provide fantasy value, significantly more than he has through his first seven NHL seasons.

Cam York, D, Philadelphia

There has been turnover on the Flyers blueline and with Ivan Provorov and Tony DeAngelo among those departing, there is an opening for a defenseman on Philadelphia’s top power play and York is as strong a candidate as any for the role. He has 30 points in 87 career games, with seven points coming on the power play, but someone must take a spot on the first unit and the Flyers don’t have a lot of great options, which opens the door for York to have a breakthrough season.

CALGARY, AB - Calgary Flames Goalie Jacob Markstrom (25) (Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire)

GOALTENDERS

Vitek Vanecek, G, New Jersey

The Devils are going to be a great team and goaltenders that can reliably earn wins bring fantasy appeal. Backup goaltender Akira Schmid might have sleeper value, too, but Vanecek is the starting goaltender for a team that is among the Stanley Cup favorites. He also has a .909 save percentage in three seasons, ranking 14^th among goaltenders that played at least 100 games in that time. It is not the flashiest track record, but that is exactly why Vanecek has a chance to provide excess value.

Jacob Markstrom, G, Calgary

Markstrom has had ups and downs in his career and is familiar with rebounding after a tough season, which is good, because his 2022-2023 season was disastrous – his .892 save percentage was his lowest for any season in which he had played at least 20 games. Goaltending being what it is, though, there is no reason that Markstrom couldn’t regain his form and be the goaltender who was the runner-up in Vezina Trophy voting in 2021-2022. His value will be low based on last season’s results, but Markstrom’s potential gives him a chance to deliver positive value and earn a spot as a Fantasy All-Star.

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Byram and Valimaki getting opportunity – Help on the wing in Teravainen, Carrier and Harvey-Pinard – Goaltending grabs

Scott Cullen — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 15:41:40 +0000

NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 28: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram (4) looks on during the National Hockey League game between the Colorado Avalanche and the New Jersey Devils on October 28, 2022 at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

Each week I dive into the numbers and offer some insights that should help when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

This week, Bowen Byram and Juuso Valimaki are getting bigger opportunities on the blueline, Teuvo Teravainen, William Carrier, and Rafael Harvey-Pinard may offer help on the wings, and Adin Hill and Philipp Grubauer are among the goaltenders that are widely available that could provide value for fantasy managers.

#1 With Cale Makar still out of the lineup due to a concussion, the Colorado Avalanche have been giving Bowen Byram a bigger role. Since returning from his own injury, Byram has three assists in five games while averaging 21:51 of ice time per game. Byram has the talent to be an impact player, but the 21-year-old has either had trouble staying healthy or gets lost in the shuffle behind Colorado’s other premier defensemen. He has 27 points in 64 career games, but 24 of those points have come at even strength. Among 222 defensemen that have played 1000 five-on-five minutes across the past three seasons, Bryam ranks 45^th with 1.05 points per 60 minutes.

#2 With Shayne Gostisbehere injured and Jakob Chychrun stuck in limbo while awaiting a trade, Juuso Valimaki is being asked to handle more responsibility on the Arizona blueline, and that includes quarterbacking the Coyotes’ top power play unit. He has six assists and 12 shots on goal in his past five games, averaging 22:42 of ice time per game.

#3 An upper-body injury hindered him earlier in the season, but Carolina Hurricanes left winger Teuvo Teravainen is rounding into form. In his past 11 games, Teravainen has nine points (3 G, 6 A) and 27 shots on goal. The 28-year-old has had four seasons of 60-plus points in his career, but has just 26 points (6 G, 20 A) in 44 games this season. However, he is back on Carolina’s top line and first power play unit, so Teravainen is poised for a big finish to the season.

#4 Vegas’ hard-driving left winger William Carrier is putting the puck in the net and it has elevated him into the land of fantasy relevance, especially in banger leagues because he brings a physical component to his game. In his past 8 games, Carrier has contributed nine points (5 G, 4 A) and 22 shots on goal. He is skating on the third line in Vegas with Chandler Stephenson and Phil Kessel, which is a better opportunity than he has typically had in his career and Carrier is making the most of it.

#5 Sticking in Vegas, starting goaltender Logan Thompson is injured so Adin Hill has a chance to handle the No. 1 role. Over the past month, Hill has a .933 save percentage in six games, and while he has never played more than 25 games in a NHL season, he has tended to deliver around league average results. If you’re looking for goaltending help at this stage of the season, he is worthy of consideration. If Hill falters, Laurent Brossoit has been recalled from the AHL, so he could see some action, too.

#6 For much of the season in Seattle, Martin Jones has been the number one option in net for the Kraken, but Philipp Grubauer is pushing to recapture the starter’s spot on the depth chart. In 2023, Grubauer has appeared in eight games and has a .927 save percentage, which is dramatically better than his play through his first season and a half with the Kraken.

#7 Usually, when seeking value from players on the fantasy waiver wire, it is nice to find a player who has some pedigree to lean on – a track record of production that would suggest that they might be able to do it in the NHL, too. Rafael Harvey-Pinard was a seventh-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2019, and has been reasonably productive in the American Hockey League, but that did not portend the kind of scoring that he has immediately added to the Montreal lineup. With a goal in Thursday’s 6-2 loss at Carolina, Harvey-Pinard has nine points (7 G, 2 A) in 11 games since getting called up from the AHL. He has scored on 35% of his shots, which his obviously not sustainable, but that early success has also helped Harvey-Pinard get more ice time – he played a career-high 19:02 Thursday at Carolina.

#8 His production is down this season, and he may be on the move before the trade deadline, but Blues center Ryan O’Reilly has returned from injury with a three-game point streak, tallying three points (2 G, 1 A) with seven shots on goal. His modest production this season is why he is available in more leagues than usual, but O’Reilly could still be worth adding for the stretch run, especially if he moves to a better situation.

#9 It’s easy for production to get overlooked in Arizona, but Nick Schmaltz continues to deliver for the Coyotes. In his past nine games, Schmaltz has put up 14 points (7 G, 7 A) with 24 shots on goal and for a player who has never been a big volume shooter, it is encouraging that he is averaging a career high 2.05 shots on goal per game this season.

#10 It seems unlikely that Barrett Hayton will live up to the expectations created when the Arizona Coyotes drafted him fifth overall in 2018, but the Coyotes are giving him the reps to show what he can do in the NHL. In his past 22 games, Hayton has 15 points (6 G, 9 A) and 57 shots on goal, while averaging 18:00 minutes of ice time per game. He is skating on the top line with Schmaltz and Clayton Keller, so that certainly helps to boost his productivity.

#11 Montreal Canadiens winger Jonathan Drouin has had a hard time staying healthy, but he is working in a setup role when he is in the lineup. He has five assists in four games since returning from his latest injury, and now has zero goals and 17 assists through 32 games. There has never been a season in NHL history in which a forward finished a season with that many assists without scoring a single goal, so we are now on history watch to see if Drouin is going to be the first.

#12 The Calgary Flames bumped Dillon Dube up to the top line in mid-December, and the speedy winger has rewarded the club with strong production in that role. In his past 26 games, Dube has 22 points (11 G, 11 A) with 58 shots on goal. Among players that have played at least 200 five-on-five minutes since December 14, Dube ranks 12^th with 3.08 points per 60 minutes. That is a higher rate than players like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, David Pastrnak, Jack Hughes, and Nikita Kucherov.

#13 There is potential value to be found further down the Flames’ depth chart, too. Veteran center Mikael Backlund had 18 points (6 G, 12 A) in 35 games going into the December holiday break. Since then, he has 16 points (4 G, 12 A) with 71 shots on goal in 20 games. That shot rate has lifted Backlund to a career-high 3.07 shots on goal per game and is a solid indication that he can maintain a quality level of point production even if he is in more of a supporting role offensively.

#14 While the Montreal Canadiens have a lot of young players getting turns on the blueline, veteran is Mike Matheson emerging as the leader of the group. In his past 15 games, going back to early December, Matheson has nine points (1 G, 8 A) and 33 shots on goal, while averaging 23:26 of ice time per game. He is quarterbacking the first power play unit for Montreal, so Matheson is worth some deep league consideration.

#15 After scoring a goal and adding an assist in Thursday’s 5-2 win at Calgary, Detroit Red Wings forward Robby Fabbri has eight points (3 G, 5 A) during a four-game point streak. Be a little skeptical of that production, though, because Fabbri is not generating shots – he has accrued just 25 shots on goal in 18 games, and that rate makes it tough to believe that his surge in scoring is going to last.

#16 Recording an assist on Winnipeg’s only goal in Thursday’s 3-1 loss at Columbus, veteran right winger Blake Wheeler continues to put up points. He has 12 points (4 G, 8 A) in his past nine games, though, like Fabbri, Wheeler is not a big shot generator. In his past nine games, he has just nine shots on goal. He also has 42 points (15 G, 27 A) in 46 games, making this the eighth straight season in which he has averaged better than 0.90 points per game.

#17 It was something of a surprise when, at the start of the season, Philip Tomasino was not on the Nashville Predators roster. He had 32 points (11 G, 21 A) in 76 games as a rookie last season, but was demoted to the American Hockey League. He responded by producing 32 points (12 G, 20 A) in 38 games and, in the wake of Filip Forsberg’s injury, Tomasino has been recalled to the Predators roster. He has not recorded any points in his first couple of games, but has generated five shots on goal and if Nashville becomes a seller before the trade deadline, there could be more opportunities for Tomasino to re-establish his value as an NHL player.

#18 The goaltender for the San Jose Sharks is not exactly a blue-chip fantasy stock, because the Sharks do not win that much, but Kaapo Kahkonen has a .929 save percentage in his past five games and figures to get the bulk of the action down the stretch. Veteran James Reimer, with an expiring contract, remains a potential trade candidate, and while Kahkonen has started 24 games this season, he should have a good chance to surpass the 36 games he appeared in last season.

#19 Depending on your desperation in goal, there are some longshot options to consider. With Anton Forsberg done for the season, with torn medial collateral ligaments in both knees, Mads Sogaard should see playing time in Ottawa, especially while Cam Talbot remains out. Talbot is also a potential trade candidate, so it is possible that Sogaard will play quite a bit for the rest of the season. Arizona’s Connor Ingram is coming off the best game of his NHL career, a 47-save shutout against Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Ingram has a respectable .907 save percentage in 18 games and there have been some rumors that starter Karel Vejmelka could be available for the right price. Wins might be tough in Ottawa or Arizona, but even more difficult to achieve in Chicago. Nevertheless, 23-year-old rookie Jaxson Stauber is worth keeping an eye on. Petr Mrazek has had another rough season and Alex Stalock has an issue with his eyesight, so it is possible that Stauber will continue to see action for the Blackhawks. He has a .911 save percentage in his first four NHL games.

#20 Injuries have hampered the production of Detroit Red Wings left winger Tyler Bertuzzi, but he is starting to find his footing. After putting up a goal and two assists in a 5-2 win at Calgary on Thursday, Bertuzzi has six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past six games. With the Red Wings back in the playoff hunt, Bertuzzi may be held back from the trading block, but if he continues to produce, there will be plenty of interest in the style of game that he can bring to a team heading to the postseason. Maybe that team will turn out to be the Red Wings.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – MONTREAL CANADIENS – NHL Player Profiles

Ryan Dadoun – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 19:49:16 +0000

MONTREAL, QC - JULY 02: Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki (14) gets ready to shoot the puck during the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Final game 3 between the Tampa Bay Lightning versus the Montreal Canadiens on July 02, 2021, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

Nick Suzuki

To say the Montreal Canadiens had a rough 2021-22 campaign would be putting it lightly, but there were silver linings and Suzuki was one of the big ones. He set career-highs with 21 goals and 61 points in 82 games while averaging 20:31 minutes. The 23-year-old has established himself as a strong two-way center who can be deployed in all situations. He even averaged 1:30 shorthanded minutes last season, up from 0:45 minutes per game in 2020-21. At 5-foot-11, 201 pounds, he also has a physical aspect of his game, finishing fourth among Canadiens forwards with 89 hits. As good as he was overall though, it’s worth noting that like the team overall, he did significantly better after Martin St. Louis took over as the head coach. Under bench boss Dominique Ducharme, Suzuki had nine goals and 27 points in 45 games. It was good enough to lead the Canadiens in scoring, but it’s still a far cry from the 12 goals and 34 points in 37 contests he recorded under St. Louis. The new head coach did a great job of activating the team’s forwards and Suzuki should benefit from playing a major role during St. Louis’ first full season as a bench boss. Suzuki is set to begin an eight-year, $63 million contract this season. If he continues to mature as he has been, that should be a good deal for the Canadiens.

Brendan Gallagher

For much of Gallagher’s career, he’s been the type of player who you’d much rather have with you than against you. While his physical play doesn’t translate to a ton of hits, he nevertheless plays a gritty game. He’ll push to the front of the net and that’s his place of business when it comes to scoring goals. He also excels at getting under opponents’ skin and tends to draw penalties as a result. In 2021-22, he finished 15th in the league for penalties drawn/60 minutes (1.93) among those who played a minimum of 30 games. All that is particularly impressive coming from a player who lacks a size advantage. Gallagher is 5-foot-9, 184 pounds, which makes him among the smaller players in the league. His style of play has unquestionably has its benefits. At his best, he’s a fantastic winger, who surpassed the 30-goal milestone in back-to-back seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19. The downside though has been the injuries he's suffered along the way and while he’s only now entering his 30s, there’s concerns that his game might lead to him aging faster than others. Perhaps we saw the first signs of that last season when he was limited to seven goals and 24 points in 56 games. However, it’s worth noting that he had an uncharacteristically low 4.9 shooting percentage, lacked consistent linemates, and was playing on a struggling team. So, it could have been a combination of bad luck and unfavorable circumstances that held him back in 2021-22 rather than him truly declining. Canadiens fans can be forgiven for feeling some anxiety when it comes to Gallagher given that he’s only through one season of the six-year, $39 million commitment Montreal made to him, but he is a bounce back candidate.

Josh Anderson

At the age of 28, it seems fair to believe that Anderson simply is what he’s shown himself to be. That’s not an entirely bad thing. He’s a big forward, standing at 6-foot-3, 226-pounds and will lean on that size advantage as evidenced by his 153 hits and 65 penalty minutes last season. He also can be a significant contributor offensively – at least some of the time. The trouble is, it doesn’t happen as often as some would hope, especially given that he’ll come with a $5.5 million cap hit through 2026-27. Anderson scored 27 goals and 47 points in 82 games with Columbus in 2018-19 and that remains his only 20-goal season. He’s come close in other campaigns and probably would have reached that mark in 2021-22 if he stayed healthy, but he’s no stranger to injuries and counting on him to have another 82-game season or something close to that might be hoping for too much. Another drawback is his inconsistency when he is healthy. He had pretty quiet stretches last season and unlike some other forwards, swapping head coach Dominique Ducharme for Martin St. Louis didn’t spark him. Anderson had nine goals and 16 points in 34 games prior to the coaching change versus 10 goals and 16 points in 35 contests after it. Ultimately, this is probably what Anderson is. He’s a power forward who is a good, but not great scoring threat. Even if he ends up consistently playing on the first line and stays healthy, he's not a sure thing to reach the 50-point milestone and those are ideal circumstances.

Evgenii Dadonov

It’s hard not to think of the trade that never was when dwelling on Dadonov. In an instance of extreme oddness, Vegas dealt Dadonov to Anaheim, only not really because it turned out that it violated the terms of his no-trade clause. The icing on that weird story was the fact that Dadonov went on a tear for Vegas after refusing the trade, scoring five goals and 16 points in 16 games the rest of the way, including a pair of game winners. That didn’t stop the Golden Knights from trading Dadonov – for real this time – to Montreal on June 16 in exchange for the contract of Shea Weber. Given that Weber won’t play again, Montreal essentially got him for nothing. Vegas desperately needed cap space, so they were motivated sellers, but it’s also fair to note that Dadonov hasn’t quite lived up to his present $5 million cap hit. Even with his strong finish to 2021-22, he recorded an okay, but not special 20 goals and 43 points in 78 games. In recent years, he’s simply been a middle-six winger and secondary scorer. He did have 65 and 70 points in 2017-18 and 2018-19 respectively while playing primarily with Aleksander Barkov back in his Florida days, so it’s hard not to wonder if there’s a world in which Dadonov finds some of that former glory while playing alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Keep in mind though that he’s 33-years-old and those campaigns were the only two examples of him even reaching the 50-point milestone. Certainly, keep an eye on him. He’s a skilled forward who has a real opportunity in Montreal and some added motivation given that he’s in the final season of his contract. Good things could happen here. Just don’t expect the world from him.

Mike Hoffman

From 2015-16 through 2019-20, Hoffman scored over 20 goals and 50 points every season, thanks in no small part to his success on the power play. At his height in 2018-19, he tied for fourth in the NHL with 17 power-play goals and tied for sixth with 35 power-play points. He missed those 20-goal and 50-point marks in 2020-21, but of course it was a shortened season. With 17 goals and 36 points in 52 contests, he was still on the right pace and his bread-and-butter remained the power-play. So when Montreal signed him to a three-year, $13.5 million contract in the summer of 2021, they were doing so with the justifiable belief that he’d be an important part of their offense. That didn’t end up being the case. Despite getting a healthy 17:03 minutes per game and a major role on the power play, he was limited to 15 goals and 35 points in 67 games. In terms of goals-per-game and points-per-game, 2021-22 was his worst season since 2013-14. That decline was largely a result of him taking a step back on the power play. He was limited to four goals and 13 points with the advantage. To be fair, Montreal as a team was abysmal on the power play, so it wasn’t a specifically Hoffman problem. It’s also worth noting that he’s one of the players who benefited from the coaching change. He had seven goals and 14 points in 30 games under head coach Dominique Ducharme then eight goals and 21 points in 37 contests with Martin St. Louis. While there might be a temptation to assume Hoffman’s down campaign is the start of his decline with age, there were mitigating factors and him bouncing back this season wouldn’t be shocking.

Christian Dvorak

When Montreal sent a 2022 first-round pick and a 2024 second rounder to Arizona on Sept. 4, 2021, in exchange for Christian Dvorak, they were hoping to get a solid two-way center who could slot into their second line. Dvorak had made strides with Arizona in 2020-21 and he was still young enough to have some potential upside. At the end of the day though, Dvorak had a mixed season with Montreal. He had 11 goals and 33 points in 56 contests, which is a new personal best for him in terms of points-per-game, but it was thanks to an extremely hot finish. From April 7 onward, he scored two goals and 13 points in 12 contests. Before that, the 2021-22 campaign was shaping up to be a disappointing one for him. He’s no stranger to having one or two hot streaks help define his season. In 2020-21 he started the season on a tear, scoring seven goals and 13 points in 12 contests before following it up with a stretch of just two goals and four points in 21 games. Those kinds of extremes can be frustrating, and the hope is that the 26-year-old will start to find consistency to his game. He’ll need to if he’s going to stay in a top-six role because newcomer Kirby Dach is projected to fight with him throughout the season for the second-line center slot. Overall, there’s plenty to like about Dvorak’s game. He’s great on the faceoff, responsible at his own end, and can even help kill penalties. If he can be the offensive force he’s shown flashes of on top of that, then he’ll be a steal at his current $4.45 million cap hit. That’s a big if though.

Rem Pitlick

Sometimes the right opportunity at the right time can make all the difference, just ask Pitlick. Going into the 2021-22, Pitlick had tastes of the NHL during his time with Nashville, but he could never earn a spot with the team. He joined the Minnesota Wild and was doing his part, scoring six goals and 11 points in 20 games even while averaging just 9:42 minutes. He couldn’t find an opening with the Wild though and they ultimately waived him on Jan. 11. Montreal, with nothing really to lose at that point, decided to take a chance on Pitlick and went all-in, giving him an average of 17:17 minutes per game. He responded well, scoring nine goals and 26 points in 46 contests. Montreal proved to be a good fit, but expectations for him going forward should be tempered. For one thing, he’s already 25-years-old, so he’s not a prospect and his upside is limited. At 5-foot-11, 196-pounds, he’s also not the biggest of forwards and he doesn’t play a physical game. His puck possession numbers last season left plenty to be desired too, with him finishing with a 43.5% and 43.3% 5v5 Corsi and Fenwick respectively and his relative Corsi/Fenwick were well in the negatives during his tenure with Montreal, suggesting that the team did better from a puck possession perspective when he wasn’t on the ice. It’s also important to note that he had a 23.1 shooting percentage, which seems unsustainable. There’s a lot of risk here and Montreal was wise to mitigate their commitment by signing him to a conversative two-year, $2.2 million contract.

Cole Caufield

Going into the 2021-22 campaign, the Montreal Canadiens knew they had a potential gem in Caufield. While he’s small by NHL standards at 5-foot-9, 162 pounds and doesn’t have much of a physical game, he has an amazing shot, and is a great skater. His offensive upside and in particular his goal scoring ability are close to top tier. He already had a taste of the NHL too, scoring four goals and five points in 10 regular season games in 2020-21 followed by eight goals and 12 points in 20 playoff contests. He consequently entered the season as a serious candidate for the Calder Trophy, but nothing went right early on. He recorded just one goal and eight points in 30 games under head coach Dominique Ducharme. When Martin St. Louis took over as the bench boss though, the transformation was instantaneous. He scored in his first game under St. Louis and ended up scoring 22 goals and 35 points in 37 contests with the new head coach. St. Louis said in May that the difference wasn’t the advice he gave Caufield, it was more about putting him in situations suited to his style of play. Perhaps it also helped that St. Louis was an incredibly successful undersized forward during his playing days, so he has a lot of insight into Caufield’s unique set of strengths and challenges. Regardless of the reason, Caufield clearly worked well under St. Louis and given that the two are set to start their first full season together, there’s a lot to be hopeful for. He has the potential to be a great top line forward for Montreal for years to come.

Jonathan Drouin

When it comes to Drouin, his health has become a big sticking point. He had two wrist surgeries over the last two years with the more recent one coming in April and that’s contributed to him playing just 105 games over the last three campaigns. Whether his wrist troubles are fully behind him and how much undergoing multiple wrist surgeries will potentially affect his game even if he does stay healthy are significant X-Factors. Prior to this though, he was a solid top-six forward and given that he’s 27-years-old, he’s certainly young enough to come back from this. He had six goals and 20 points in 34 games last season and almost all those games were under former bench boss Dominique Ducharme before the team made offensive strides with head coach Martin St. Louis. The coaching swap is both a potential boon and yet another X-Factor. On the one hand, most forwards have performed well under St. Louis and Drouin could prove to be yet another example of that, but we also don’t know too much yet about how Drouin will be deployed under the new coach. It at least helps that Drouin’s versatile. He’s primarily a winger and that’s his likely role this year, but he can also serve as a center in a pinch, so St. Louis has options here. The last time Drouin had a truly normal season was back in 2018-19 when he scored 18 goals and 53 points in 81 contests. Even with all the question marks surrounding him, the potential remains for him to get back to that level.

Kirby Dach

Taken by Chicago with the third overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Dach never worked out with the Blackhawks. Standing at 6-foot-4, Dach is a big center who skates well, can protect the puck, and is willing to play in front of the net. There’s a lot to like here, but he hasn’t performed as hoped. In 2021-22, he had nine goals and 26 points in 70 contests despite averaging 18:03 minutes. It gets worse than him just not performing offensively though. Dach is awful on the draw. Among players who took at least 200 faceoffs last season, Dach finished last with a 32.8% success rate. He struggled on the draw in his first two NHL seasons too and that raises questions about the viability of continuing to deploy him as a center. It’s also worth noting that while he does use his size to his advantage in some respects like positioning and puck protection, he’s not someone who throws his body around much. He had an unremarkable 49 hits last season, so while he has the size of a power forward, that’s not really what he is. And yet despite those downsides, he does have a promising offensive tool set. The Montreal Canadiens clearly see that there’s still potential here because on July 7 they sent the 13th and 66th overall picks to Chicago in exchange for Dach. There is an argument to be made that Chicago asked Dach to do too much, too quickly, and was matching him up against top competition before he was ready. If Montreal can ease him in a bit more, then that might be for the best in the long run. With that in mind, Dach might not have a breakout season in 2022-23, but we could see him take a meaningful incremental step forward.

DEFENSE

Mike Matheson

The Canadiens finally fulfilled Jeff Petry’s trade request over the summer when they traded him to Pittsburgh, but Habs fans should like the main player they got in return, Matheson. For one thing, Matheson’s a local boy who grew up cheering for the Canadiens, so he already has roots in the city. Beyond that though, he’s a similar type of defenseman to Petry, so he can fill in for a lot of what the Canadiens are losing. Matheson is a strong two-way defenseman with speed and is coming off a great campaign where he set career-highs with 11 goals and 31 points in 74 games while averaging 18:48 minutes. He also had a 53.8% and 54.5% 5v5 Corsi and Fenwick respectively, which is better than how the Penguins did without him, so he was an asset from a puck possession perspective. That said, he’s not everything Petry was. Petry was someone who could help kill penalties, but Matheson averaged just 0:14 minutes shorthanded last season. Both have height, but even at 6-foot-2, Matheson isn’t an especially physical defenseman. His 97 hits last season was a career high while Petry has recorded at least 140 in five of his last six seasons. We also don’t know if Matheson’s offensive highs will ever reach Petry’s, who hit the 40-point milestone in four straight campaigns from 2017-18 through 2020-21. So, in a one-to-one comparison, it’s not a perfect match, but Matheson is also in his prime at the age of 28 while Petry is already 34. Matheson matches the Canadiens’ timetable to compete better and if he can continue to play like he did last season, he’ll serve Montreal well. He’ll receive every opportunity on a think Canadiens blueline.

David Savard

Savard scored 11 goals and 36 points in 82 games in 2014-15. To this day that’s easily his top season in terms of offensive production and that will likely always be the case. Even the three goals and 17 points in 62 games he generated last season with Montreal is a bit more than is safe to hope for going forward. Fortunately, the Canadiens didn’t sign him to a four-year, $14 million contract back in July 2021 because of his work with the puck. Savard’s value lies at his own end of the ice. He’s defensively responsible as well as a penalty killer. He’s also got size, standing at 6-foot-2, 233-pounds, and he’s happy to employ it. He accumulated 134 hits along with 36 penalty minutes last season and those numbers are par for the course for him. He’ll sacrifice himself too, ranking second on Montreal in blocked shots last season with 127. He’s the type of hard working, gritty defenseman that can inspire his teammates with his tough style of play. He’s also a nice veteran presence for the Canadiens to have as they rebuild. It helps that he saw what it takes to win as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2020-21 Stanley Cup-winning squad. He won’t make headlines, but he’ll play a role with the Canadiens this season.

Joel Edmundson

The 2021-22 campaign was largely a write off for Edmundson. He didn’t even make his season debut until March 12 due to a back injury. The silver lining is that he settled back into his regular role for what was left of the season, averaging 19:35 minutes, including 2:26 shorthanded minutes. Unfortunately, injuries are nothing new for Edmundson. He hadn’t had an extended absence like that before, but the 29-year-old has also never logged 70 games in a single season. To an extent, that goes hand-in-hand with the kind of game he plays. The 6-foot-4, 227-pound blueline is a physical player and he’ll block a good deal of shots too. Even after missing most of the campaign with his back issue, he still recorded 45 blocks and 61 hits in 24 games. He tends also get into trouble with the refs a fair amount, which can be a bit of an issue given that he’s supposed to help kill penalties, but it’s been part of who he is throughout his career and it’s not likely to change now. The trade-off is that he helps protect his teammates and on occasion he’ll even drop his gloves. With some young defensemen such as Jordan Harris and Justin Barron potentially getting full-time roles with the Canadiens next season, Edmundson could end up as a mentor and something of a protector for them on the ice. Just don’t look for Edmundson to get many points along the way. He set a career-high in 2019-20 with 20 points in 68 contests and he shouldn’t be expected to do any better this season.

GOALTENDING

Jake Allen

The Montreal Canadiens fell mightily after their impressive Stanley Cup Final run just a few years ago; with Carey Price forced to miss the majority of the season for personal and injury-related reasons, the Original Six club once again learned just how hard it can be to thrive without a goaltender capable of legitimately carrying them into contention. Unfortunately, that’s the task that Jake Allen will once again find himself saddled with; while he was originally acquired as a perfect tandem 1B to complement Price, he’s now responsible for ensuring that the team is able to hold their own against the myriad of goaltending talent scattered throughout the Atlantic and the Metropolitan Divisions.

The problem with Jake Allen remains his confidence; when he plays well he’s got incredible instincts and talent, but when he plays poorly he second-guesses his own positioning and ends up struggling to make reads and accurately swallow pucks. He thrives when he’s able to settle into a rhythm, which is both a strength and a weakness for the now-32-year old goaltender – because when he can’t quite find his pacing, he’s unable to utilize the agility and flexibility that helps him snag high-danger redirects and rebounded second shots. The good news, though, is that the Canadiens seemed to see their defensive systems settle into a better flow under head coach Martin St. Louis, who was appointed late in the 2021-22 season and will be at the helm from day one this year.

Projected starts: 55-60

At Luongo Last – Florida Panthers 2018-19 Season Preview

Robert Howard — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 18:33:00 +0000

REVIEW/STATE OF PLAY - The shake up following the painful 2016-17 season that saw them fall from first in their division to 23^rd in the league seem to have them back on the right path again. In his first season as coach Bob Boughner brought the Panthers achingly close to the playoffs needing to win their final three games, which they did only to fall short. The pain passed quickly to optimism based on the way the team finished the season. They tied for best in the NHL with Nashville down the stretch going 25-8-2 over the last 35 games. They were fourth in goals in that time period and it would have been interesting to see what kind of damage they might have done in the playoffs.

ADDING AROUND THE EDGES - They return with the same lineup largely intact with a couple of key additions from GM Dale Tallon. The biggest return was landing controversial Mike Hoffman for draft picks only, the highest a second rounder. Nothing controversial about his play, but his time in Ottawa ended badly with a personal situation involving star Erik Karlsson. He brings game breaking skills and completes an enviable top two lines.

Evgeni Dadonov

He also added a veteran defenseman out of the KHL after having success with Evgeni Dadonov in 28-year-old Bogdan Kiselevich to a one-year contract. He is meant to solidify the top six as a solid two-way defenseman who was a KHL all-star last season. He will not light up the scoreboard but could be an astute addition to a defence anchored by Aaron Ekblad, Keith Yandle and Michael Matheson. The Panthers allowed the third most shots per game (34.6) last season and led the league in giveaways (1076) and need to tighten up defensively if the playoffs are in store. Otherwise this team returns with a relatively youthful squad with core Aleksandr Barkov (22), Jonathan Huberdeau (25), Vincent Trochek (25), and Nick Bjugstad (26). Evgeny Dadonov (29) scored 65 points in 74 games in his return to the NHL and Hoffman (28) complete a deadly top six.

STRENGTH DOWN THE MIDDLE -The emergence of Aleksandr Barkov as one of the premier centerman in the league. He is top five in terms of two-way play, but last years production hinted at great things to come scoring at a point a game pace. He averaged 22:04 in ice time, second among all NHL forwards, and was fifth in the league in takeaways (82). Since they started recording shootout stats in 2005-06 he ranks second in conversion rate with 54.3%. A more dangerous top six and revitalized power play could place him among the scoring leaders.

Right behind him is the unheralded Vincent Trochek who exploded for more than 30 goals and 70 points while also playing a very strong two-way game, and one of the better face-off men in the league along with Barkov. Barkov was fifth in the league in faceoff wins (908), while Trochek was seventh (853) given them a one-two punch at the dot that few in the league can compare with. Barkov stepped it up in the defensive zone when it counts with a win rate of 56.2% illustrating his importance.

A HEALTHY LINE-UP - A cautionary note is that Florida suffered very few injuries this season with its core intact. It is a young squad so may be able to repeat, but Huberdeau, Barkov and Bjugstad have had injury histories but delivered great seasons last year. Their defense also missed little time, unusual for any NHL squad, but in their favour Keith Yandle is the NHL current Ironman for games missed ranking seventh all-time with 715 consecutive games played. The other key pieces are future Norris contender Aaron Ekblad at 22-years-old and Michael Matheson (24-years-old). They are both signed for the long term at $7.5 million

AAV for seven years for Ekblad and Matheson for $4.875 million AAV for eight years – for a largely defensive defenseman he may be overpaid but speaks to the organizations belief he is someone they can build around. Yandle is signed for the next five years at $6.35 million AAV but given his health history the term may not be an issue. A healthy season from Roberto Luongo at 39-years-old is not likely in the cards but he and James Reimer share the crease effectively and he was performing at an elite level when healthy.

OUTLOOK - The Florida Panthers have only made it to the playoffs five times in their 25-year history, and only twice in the 17 seasons. If Barkov has a dominant season and they can get off to a good start they will be in the race with an improved offense and a core coming into its prime.