|
In Hainsight: End of Season Ratings – Defensemen |
|
|
|
|
|
Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
The Canadiens still have a young defense corps and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon with so many prospects knocking on the big club’s door. Still, for most of the season, the Canadiens’ defensemen were among the most productive in the NHL.
The Cream of the Crop
Mike Matheson: I know, he makes a lot of turnovers, but he’s an integral part of the Canadiens’ attack. The mobility, the ability to spot the opportunities, the gaps, to know when to join the rush. The 30-year-old had the best season of his career, registering 62 points and tying his personal best goal-wise. Before this year, 34 points was his highest output. I think it’s acceptable to put up with the odd turnover to get that kind of offense. Those turnovers take him to an A- for this season.
David Savard: He is to defensive play what Matheson is to the offensive play. The rugged defenseman has once again been a shot-blocking machine and everyone’s big brother on top of being the ideal partner for the new guys. In just 60 games this season, he added 24 points to his name, and in every season with the Habs, his offensive production has improved. Some wanted to trade Savard at the deadline, but in the end, it wasn’t a bad thing that Hughes didn’t do it. It allowed both Lane Hutson and Logan Mailloux to have a smooth start in the big league. Overall, I believe he deserves an A for his season.
Good Performers
Kaiden Guhle: The 22-year-old defenseman still looks older and more experienced than he is. The big improvement this season has been his health, he managed to play 70 games, much more than he did in his rookie year. The worry though is the fact that he’s suffered many concussions. With 22 points, his productivity has gone down compared to the 18 he got in just 44 games last season. He’s also had several lower-body injuries in his career, hopefully, it settles down soon and he doesn’t end up being labeled “injury prone”. There are times this season when he has looked his age and made mistakes and his play reading, but it is to be expected. I think B+ is a fair grade for this season.
Jayden Struble: The feel-good story of the year, he got called-up because of an injury and never went back down. Most people were surprised by his performance, but there were some glowing reviews about him back when he was drafted. Struble is a steady defenseman who thinks about his own end first but can at times, join the attack. While he was lights out when he was first called-up, his star faded a bit in later games, for that reason he gets a B.
Jordan Harris: He’s the very definition of what you see is what you get. He’s a good all-around defenseman and what you see is what you get. Last season, he put up 17 points in 65 games and this year, 14 in 56 games. If you round up, both translate to 21 points in a full 82-game season. This is part of why I believe Harris has already reached his ceiling and if Kent Hughes needs to trade some of his young defensemen to make room on the blue line this offseason, I think Harris will be the one to go. For his efforts this season, I think a B is adequate.
Acceptable performance
Arber Xhekaj: The rugged blueliner did not expect to find himself in Laval this season but he did end up playing 17 games in the AHL during this campaign. Full marks for him though, he didn’t sulk, he rolled up his sleeves and worked on his defensive game while also being an important cog in Logan Mailloux’s development. Once back in the NHL, he looked hesitant at times, as if he wasn’t quite sure how much teammate protection he could do. Xhekaj brings something different to the table than all other defensemen, he can be intimidating to the opponent and keep the other team in check, but to do that, he needs to play his own game. In only 44 NHL games, he racked up 81 penalty minutes, most of which came early on in the season. Still, he’s the Hab who’s spent the most time in the box this season. His offensive production is down three points on last season’s but he did play seven more games last season. The worry with Xhekaj is his season once again ended with a busted shoulder and come training camp, both of his shoulders will have been operated on. Will he still be the same player? Overall, I give him a C+ on the year.
Jonathan Kovacevic: Had the Canadiens been able to send him down to Laval without having to clear waivers, I strongly believed he would have spent some time down there. Towards the end of the season, he was having more frequent “brain farts” and losing the puck at the offensive blue line. His decision-making is not always on point and there’s a reason why he was a waiver pick-up. The fact he’s a right-shot defenseman also plays in his favor since the Canadiens have so few of them, but next year, David Reinbacher and Logan Mailloux will be knocking on the Habs’ door and they are both shooting right. This might mean Kovacevic will be moved in time, but he’s not got the kind of value that would help Kent Hughes bring top offensive talent to Montreal. I give him a C for this season.
Justin Barron: The return in the Lehkonen trade is taking his time to fill in the promises he showed when first drafted. He has good mobility and a certain offensive upside, but can be a liability on the other side of the puck. He's no stranger to turnovers and it may be his downfall. The Canadiens have other mobile and offensively gifted defensemen in the pipeline and they may be safer options. Question is, if he is dangled as trade bait, what kind of value will he have as it will be the second time a team prefers trading him than developing him? For his work this season, I'd give him a C-.
Obviously, Lane Hutson and Logan Mailloux have not played enough for a grade to be given but their very short auditions have been very interesting and their presence as well as David Reinbacher’s at next training camp could make things very interesting. There are two schools of thought on Hutson, the “give him time in the minors” crew and the “keep him in the NHL he’ll be fine” group. I’d rather see him in the NHL than in the AHL where some big career minor-leaguers might want to hunt him down. Of course, my opinion could change when we see him again in camp…
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»