The first point focuses on the forward group as a whole.
The Canadiens have the ability to effectively run four lines on a nightly basis, something the Canucks haven’t been able to do for a few years now. Interim head coach Dominique Ducharme has had the luxury of rolling out different line combinations this season, knowing that he’ll still often get production from those lines. This also goes for the team’s powerplay, which, unlike most teams in the league, can have two effective units on a nightly basis. The man advantage hasn’t exactly been firing on all cylinders for the Canadiens in the past few years, but they seemed to improve this season, finishing with a net powerplay efficacy of 17.9%, good for 15th in the league. In comparison, the Canadiens finished 21st last season.
Eight of Montreal’s forwards finished with at least 20 points this past year, with both Suzuki and Toffoli eclipsing the 40-point mark. This list also includes players like Jonathan Drouin and Brendan Gallagher, who were limited to just 44 and 35 games played.
This trend has carried over into the playoffs, with many of these players continuing to find ways to contribute. Toffoli is producing at just under a point-per-game pace, notching four goals and seven assists in 12 games. Suzuki has followed up with eight points, and Caufield tallied his first-ever playoff goal on Monday night.
Ducharme was also able to dress capable centres for all four lines this year. We touched on Suzuki and Kotkaniemi, but it’s also important to discuss Phillip Danault, and his crucial role with the team. In 56 games this season, Danault was able to put up five goals and 19 assists. More importantly, however, he posted a faceoff win percentage of 52.48%, and was often tasked with shutting down his opponent’s top players, such as Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews. He was able to take care of the last two players in the first round, at both even strength and on the powerplay, and did much of the same in the second round against Winnipeg’s stars.
The 28-year-old, who is set to become a UFA at the end of this year, has proven that he can be a reliable, middle-scoring third line centre, much like the Canucks had in Manny Malhotra in 2011.
Of course, as Canucks fans painfully know, head coach Travis Green wasn’t given any of the above luxuries this past year.
Seven of his players did hit the 20-point plateau, but two of them were defencemen, and one was Pettersson, who only played 26 games. Tanner Pearson was close with 18 points, but that’s definitely not good enough for a second-line winger. And, aside from Tyler Motte, whose aggressive and gritty style of play is the closest comparison to Montreal’s third and fourth lines, the list unfortunately still looks pretty grim.
Brandon Sutter, who commonly played the role of third-line centre, only recorded 12 points, while the remaining forwards weren’t even able to hit double digits. Out of those players who failed to get 10 points, eight of them suited up for at least 20 games.
Most people who read these underwhelming stats will refer back to how the team lost Toffoli in the offseason, after giving up so much to acquire him at the 2020 trade deadline. There’s no doubt that Toffoli, who would’ve likely surpassed his career-high in goals and points this season had it gone the full 82, would’ve also been a welcomed addition to the Canucks’ line-up. During his time in Vancouver, Toffoli found immediate chemistry with Pettersson and J.T. Miller on the top line, and he also gave the team more flexibility when it came to balancing their two powerplay units.
But, even if Toffoli had ended up in Vancouver, his presence still wouldn’t have solved the Canucks’ biggest problem, and that was the fact that the team was far too reliant on their top-six as a result of their bottom-six inconsistencies.
Of course, the Canucks do have some promise in their prospect pool that could soon boost the bottom three lines, and fans were able to get a first look of some of those players this past year, such as Kole Lind, Jonah Gadjovich and Will Lockwood. Nils Höglander also made an immediate impact on the team, and many are expecting the same from Vasily Podkolzin, who signed his entry-level contract in May.
However, none of this matters if the kids can’t get a chance to actually play in the NHL, or if they aren’t able to play alongside strong, well-seasoned veterans who can show them the ropes while also continuing to produce for the team.
And this leads us to our second point: the never-ending contracts.