The season is 12 games old and so far the Habs are rolling! With a 9-3 record, the Canadiens have come out of the gate strong, fueled by a much improved powerplay which sits sixth in the league at 28.6. Moving Demidov to the first unit has given the Habs a spark as they are now a constant threat on the man advantage. This is something the Habs sorely needed to improve upon if they want to continue to consistently win hockey games and a point I had outlined in my previous articles during the summer. The following are the good and bad of the season thus far.
Nick Suzuki
With 2 goals, 16 assists for 18 points, Nick Suzuki is 8th in the league in points and is only 2 points shy of the league lead. Furthermore, he currently has a +8 rating at 5-5 so he is proving to be defensively sound while putting up high offensive numbers. He’s really rounded out his game and has become one of the best centres in the NHL.
Cole Caufield
With 10 goals and 5 assists Cole is showing he is a premier goal scorer in the league. He’s a killer in OT and is playing amazing hockey. His hands are quick and his release deadly. Like Suzuki, he’s showing his defensive reliability with a +7 rating 5-5 and is showing Team USA he should be on the squad.
The PK
This is an area the Habs need to take a look at. They are currently 20th in the leagues with a 76.9 % success rate. This is not nearly good enough given the talent they have on defense. Some of this can be attributed to Montembeault's struggles in the net, but at the end of the day they need to be better.
Nazem Kadri
I really love Nazem Kadri as he plays a fast aggressive style, while contributing a fair amount of points. He can pretty much do it all out there and would significantly improve the Hab’s chances at a Stanley Cup. However, this does not mean acquiring him would make them a contender. Also, he’s 35 which means his play is going to decline in the near future. Furthermore, the price to acquire him would be high, and I think the Habs are better off riding with what they currently have. Unless the guy coming the other way is Sid the Kid, I would stay the course and I believe Kent Hughes will do so.
The Habs are back in action tomorrow vs the Flyer, hopefully the Canadiens can improve to a 10-3 record!