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In Hainsight: End of Season Ratings - Forwards |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
Today, I’ll take a look at the forwards who wore the Sainte-Flanelle this season.
The Cream of the Crop
It’s impossible not to put Nick Suzuki in this category. The captain is maturing nicely and on his way to becoming a point-per-game player. Those who were already given the first center spot to Kirby Dach might want to take a moment to reconsider. Suzuki leads by example and makes the right decisions on the ice. Suzuki is fully deserving of an A+, and it’s a shame he didn’t get to the 80-point mark, but there’s no doubt in my mind he will get there.
Full marks must also be given to Juraj Slafkovsky who has taken the next step in his development. The 1st overall pick in 2022 had a tough rookie season last year which was cut short by injury. He showed up to camp in great form and immediately clicked with Kirby Dach, but it didn’t last long as the center suffered a season-ending injury in the second game of the season. Slafkovsky bounced around with different linemates for a while, but as soon as he joined the Suzuki-Caufield duo, he improved by leaps and bounds and ended his season with 20 goals and 50 points which met his own and everyone else’s expectations. The sophomore also gets an A+ for this season in which he was one of the best stories to follow.
As for their linemate Cole Caufield, he started the year slowly and struggled to find the back of the net for quite some time. Thankfully for the Canadiens’ sniper, his lowered goal production was made up for by the fact he applied himself to become a more complete player. He learned to pass the puck more, his play therefore became far less predictable, which meant the power play was more diverse as well. Still, next year, he’ll need to score more if the Canadiens are to become real contenders. I’ll give him an A- for the year.
Good performers
Newcomer Alex Newhook only played 55 games in his first season as he fell to injury, as is the norm for the Canadiens’ new acquisition. Still, in those 55 games, he racked up 34 points and his faceoff percentage also went up. In his first NHL season, it stood at 34.7%, last season with Colorado it was at 41.4% and this year it went up to 46.5%. Even though he only played 55 games, 34 points is still a career-high for the 23-year-old. If he lands on the top six next season alongside Dach and Joshua Roy, for instance, there would more likely than not be yet another bump in production. For his first season with the Habs, I give him a B+.
As for Jake Evans, he gave what could be expected of him and finished with 28 points to his name, just one short of his career best. At the faceoff dot, he did good work, winning 52.2% of his duels. It’a also worth noting that this was the first season in which he played all 82 games, managing to stay healthy might be down to luck at times, but proper preparation and training cut the odds of being injured. I believe he deserves a B for the year.
Joel Armia had perhaps the worst start of a season of his career. With internal competition knocking on the NHL’s door, the Finn fell off his chair and was put on waivers before being assigned to the Laval Rocket. With numerous injuries, the Canadiens had to recall him twice before he stuck around for the rest of the season and only played eight games in Laval. Those eight games were pivotal in Armia’s season though. He rolled up his sleeves, put on his working boots, and got busy on the ice, When the Canadiens called for him, he answered. He was the fourth goal-scorer on the team and will finally be in the last season of his contract this upcoming season and some have already suggested he should be given a contract extension, I don’t agree. Armia has had a lot of highs and lows in his career and I find it hard to believe he’ll perform in the same manner. Furthermore, his stock is high right now, for Kent Hughes who’s a fan of buying low and selling high, now’s the time to strike. For this season, Armia gets a B.
For a player many considered as good as done, Brendan Gallagher had a solid season. Of course, it wasn’t the Gallagher who scored 30 goals in a season, but it was a good leader who did manage to score 16 goals, the fifth-biggest total of the year. Once he had a stable line with Newhook and Armia, he started producing regularly in a top-six assignment. If he’s in the top six next season, it will mean the offseason didn’t go according to plan for Kent Hughes. In the end, Gallagher gets a B- on the season and a gold star for staying healthy all year, it had been ages since that happened (2018-2019)
Acceptable Performance
Christian Dvorak started the season rehabilitating from a new injury and he almost finished it nursing a torn pectoral muscle. In the end, the American only played for 30 games this season and put nine points on the board. In his third season with the Canadiens, he’s still suffering from the comparison with who he was brought in to replace in a way, Philippe Danault. Dvorak has never been and will never be Danault, once you temper your expectations and take the player for who it is and not who you would want him to be, he gives an honest performance and deserves a passing grade, so it’s a C for him.
In his first full season with the big team, Rafael Harvey-Pinard had a tough time of it. He missed 37 games because of injuries and was limited to 10 points, two goals, and 8 assists on the season. His 20 points in 34 games last season seem to have been a lifetime ago. People tend to forget that RHP got opportunities in that season he didn’t get in the last one. Cole Caufield wasn’t injured this season and there was no way for the Quebecer to steal his chair. Considering the limited opportunities he was given, he still managed to get a C-.
How Low Can You Go?
Jesse Ylonen was able to put points up regularly in the AHL, but he is not in the NHL. He wasn’t injured and yet, he only found a spot in the lineup for 59 games during which he could only register eight points. Since he had to go through waivers to return to the AHL, the Canadiens kept him but it really looks like this will have been his last year in Montreal, he fully deserves a D-.
Michael Pezzetta often means well but ends up costing damage with ill-timed penalties. The gritty winger spent 59 minutes in the sin bin this season in 61 games played and just couldn’t find a regular spot on the team. Had Arber Xhekaj played more games with the Habs, it’s highly likely that Pezzetta would have been scratched even more often, another D-.
This Low
Josh Anderson signed a 7-year contract with Marc Bergevin with a $5.5 Million cap hit on potential. Potential Bergevin thought he saw in the big power forward who has never put up more than 47 points in the league. In four seasons in Montreal, he’s gotten 24, 32, 32, and finally 20 points in those seasons. Of those 20 points, only nine were goals, and many were secondary assists. If Anderson’s stock was high last year, it is now at an all-time low, and with three years still to go on his contract, he’s almost impossible to move. For me, Anderson has failed this season and needs to find a way to fulfill his part of the contract he signed. He’s my only E amongst the forwards.
The players not graded have not particularly caught my attention and are on expiring deals that won’t be extended (Tanner Pearson, Colin White), didn't play enough (Joshua Roy) or were injured for most of the year (Kirby Dach).
I’ll be back with another report card in the next few days and I'll focus on the goaltenders and defensemen.
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