Written By: Ryan Humphrey
Edited By: Cameron Schoffro
With the start of another season, the never-ending quest of the Stanley Cup being awarded to a Canadian based team continues. Since 2011, the only Canadian hockey team to reach the finals was the Vancouver Canucks, and even more disappointingly, the last Canadian Stanley Cup victor was the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. The newly created Canadian division for the 2021 season has been nothing short of an iconic battle for national pride. The division has created interesting matchups night after night: McDavid vs Matthews, Tkachuk vs Tkachuk, and the battle of Alberta meeting a record 10 times this NHL season. With all big expectations being placed on the Maple Leafs, Canucks, Oilers, and Flames due to their offseason acquisitions, the Montreal Canadiens have flown under the radar thus far but certainly established their presence as a top Canadian contender this season. Here is why the Canadiens are off to such a hot start and how some of their offseason moves have greatly affected their play thus far.
Last year the Montreal Canadiens had a season full of ups and downs, with key injuries to players such as Jonathan Drouin. The team never really seemed to find their footing, eventually finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 31-31-9 record but managed to upset the Pittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round. Despite losing in 6 games to the Philadelphia Flyers in the proceeding round, the Hab’s young core of Nick Suzuki, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Phillip Danault displayed the remarkable depth that the Habs have up the middle. The Canadiens have started hot, amassing 12 points so far this season with an incredible 5-0-2 record and currently on a 3-game win streak. Although this season may have a different energy with no fans in the building, the Habs have still managed to collect a 4-0-2 record on the road. Sitting at a point percentage of 85.7% we start to wonder how they got there in the first place. Were the Habs even supposed to be one of the Canadian contenders this year?
Marc Bergevin, the Montreal Canadiens General Manager, is under constant criticism for some of the decisions he makes, although he has managed to avoid a complete rebuild and has acquired key pieces over the past 3 seasons for the team. When Bergevin sent Max Pacioretty to the Vegas Golden Knights, Montreal fans might have had their doubts about Nick Suzuki and how he’d pan out, but I bet all Habs fans can agree that the once prospect has turned into a foundational piece for the franchise. Coming off a stellar rookie season of 41 points, Suzuki has continued his excellent play putting up 7 points in 7 games. Besides the young talent that will continue to be the backbone of this organization, Bergevin went out and acquired two massive offseason acquisitions.
First up on the list, is the signing of Tyler Toffoli coming off a season with 24 goals in 68 games split between the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks. Toffoli was a great fit for the Canucks, producing 10 points in 10 games in the regular season, but due to the terrible cap space issue, the Canucks could not resign him. The Canadiens were able to swoop in and acquire him this offseason. Toffoli gives the Habs the scoring depth they were looking for and has been fitting in nicely on the third line with Kotkaniemi and Corey Perry. At a $4.25M cap hit, Toffoli brings an elite offensive presence being in the 72nd percentile in even-strength offence (EV Off) and the 98th percentile of expected goals for (xGF). He can be used in either the second or third-line role making all lines equally productive while also chipping in on the first powerplay unit. Another key piece to the Habs’ early success has been Josh Anderson. Fans might have wondered about this trade since Anderson suffered an injury-riddled season prior to the trade but nevertheless, the Canadiens sent Max Domi and a third-round pick to Columbus in exchange for the 6’3”, 226-pound power forward. Anderson has slid in nicely to the second line with Suzuki and Drouin, bringing a more physical presence while still producing 4 goals and 5 points in the seven games this season.
Lastly, how can one not talk about the stacked Habs backend with the one-two punch of Weber and Petry? Fresh off a new four-year, $25 million-dollar offseason contract, Petry needed to prove himself once again and he has surpassed all expectations. The defencemen picked up another assist in the Canadien’s 4-2 win against the Calgary Flames giving him 2 goals, 6 assists, and 8 points in seven games this season. This production has ranked Petry fourth among all NHL defensemen, but the most impressive part of his game is his +8, ranking him with the second-best defencemen plus/minus differential in the NHL. New defence partner Joel Edmundson, freshly acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes this offseason, and Petry are continuing to create chemistry due to the short training camp and lack of pre-season action. However, they do seem to be communicating effectively and reading each other’s playing style well, which is especially impressive in this short season. The tandem of Weber and Petry brings a lot of experience and knowledge to the Habs blueline and have solidified them defensively on the right-hand side in a league where right-handed defensemen are a hot commodity.
With all lines firing, the Canadiens have been exceptionally deep, each of the top 3 lines is a significant threat to create offensive production. Coming into the season, the Canadiens may not have been on a lot of people’s radars when discussing who will come out on top of the Canadian North division, but 7 games in and the Habs have seriously solidified that they are not a team to take lightly. Perhaps the Habs could be a serious underdog in the continued quest for another Stanley Cup by one of our Canadian teams.
Citations
Cap Friendly. (2021, January 30). Tyler Toffoli - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://www.capfriendly.com/players/tyler-toffoli
Daily Faceoff. (2021, January 30). Montreal Canadiens Line Combinations. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/montreal-canadiens/line-combinations/
NHL. (2021, January 30). NHL Hockey Standings. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://www.nhl.com/standings/2020/division
NHL. (2021, January 30). NHL Stats. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from http://www.nhl.com/stats/
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