Canadiens Final Report Card: The Depth Players Part Two

Depth players played far more often for the Canadiens than the team had intended and while some struggled, others showed promise.

Injuries plagued the Canadiens throughout 2015-16. Due to this, the Canadiens depth was put into the spotlight and played far more than intended. Specifically, the Canadiens defense took massive hits which exposed the relative inexperience the Canadiens have in the minors.

D Tom Gilbert: Grade: D-

GP-G-A-PTS: 45-1-1-2

Gilbert has played two forgettable seasons with the Canadiens. Despite his disappointing tenure, Gilbert’s second season was by far the worst of his 10 year NHL career.Two separate knee injuries cost Gilbert a total of 37 games, the second of which needed surgery in February. His offensive game was completely non-existent(-0.6 offensive point share) and his always steady defense became below-average.

His possession numbers, which were a large factor in the Canadiens signing him in the first place, was not good at all. His -5.5 Corsi Relative was far an away the worst of his career. All told, Gilbert’s career in Montreal did not go as planned and he and team will be better off without each other.

D Joel Hanley: Grade: B

GP-G-A-PTS: 10-0-6-6 (AHL: 64-5-8-13)

Hanley was brought aboard as an AHL free agent after spending a year with the Arizona Coyotes AHL affiliate. Hanley’s calling card is his defense and work ethic as opposed to his offensive game. Now, you wouldn’t have known that based on his 10 game cup of coffee with the Canadiens.

Hanley’s sudden offensive outburst is likely not sustainable but he showed other elements to his game that suggest he could see NHL success. His possession metrics were solid(1.5 Corsi Relative) and he showed a knack for blocking shots(19). He may not score but he could be a younger version of Josh Gorges.

LW Lucas Lessio: Grade: C-

GP-G-A-PTS: 12-1-1-2 (AHL: 18-3-6-9)

I’ve always been a fan of Lessio, dating back to his junior days with the Oshawa Generals. The Canadiens acquired Lessio from Arizona for Christian Thomas on December 15th. Lessio’s tenure in Montreal has been marred by bad luck. He spent the first 18 games of his Canadiens down in St. John’s before getting his call up. In his first game and on one of his first shifts, Lessio was hit hard by Radko Gudas and suffered a lower-body injury.

The injury cost Lessio nearly two weeks worth of games. Upon his return, Lessio played limited minutes(10:29 per game) but showed some great speed and physical elements to his game. He wasn’t able to show much offense but he does have some hidden potential there. In his 12 games in Montreal, he wasn’t bad but he also wasn’t particularly great either.

LW Stefan Matteau: Grade: D-

GP-G-A-PTS: 12-0-1-1

Matteau was brought aboard in a trade deadline deal for Devante Smith-Pelly. Matteau suited up in only 12 games for the Canadiens and played minimal minutes(10:38). Unlike Lucas Lessio, Matteau really didn’t show much of anything. Matteau continued to struggle mightily on offense which has been a common theme for him as a pro.

On one of the few positive notes, Matteau showed promise as a physical depth winger, averaging over 2 hits per game. Other than that, Matteau failed to show much of anything.

C/RW Michael McCarron: Grade: D-

GP-G-A-PTS: 20-1-1-2 (AHL: 58-17-21-38)

McCarron’s run with the Canadiens could have gone better. For the most part, McCarron looked out of place and just did not seem to be able to get it going at the NHL level. Despite the struggles, their were some positives in McCarron’s 20 game run. He showed a willingness to engage opponents physically and throw his big frame around. He also showed an advanced feel on faceoffs with a 50.3% faceoff rating.

Part of McCarron’s struggles stemmed from bad puck luck. He had a very low 2.4% shooting percentage. He was also deployed nearly 60% of the time in the defensive zone. McCarron fared much better at the AHL level and was well on his way to being a nominee to the Dudley Red Garret Award for AHL rookie of the year.

C/RW Torrey Mitchell – Grade: B

GP-G-A-PTS: 71-11-8-19

Mitchell quietly had a solid season, playing any role Michel Therrien asked him to play. He set a career high in goals and posted his highest point total since 2011-12. Mitchell also posted an above-average 51.6% faceoff rating.

Mitchell has never been a strong possession player but that is to almost be expected since nearly 70% of his zone starts come in his own end. Overall, Mitchell had his best season since his early days in San Jose.

D Greg Pateryn – Grade: B+

GP-G-A-PTS: 38-1-6-7

Greg Pateryn began this season as the Canadiens 7th/8th defender with Jared Tinordi. The pair were both waiver eligible and the Canadiens did not want to lose either one. As it turned out, Montreal really needed that extra depth.

Pateryn ultimately saw his most extensive action at the NHL level and was a pleasant surprise. Pateryn played a steady stay-at-home style which helped him post 100 hits and 52 blocks in just 38 games. Pateryn’s play was so steady, that over the final month and a half of the season, he was seeing between 20-22 minutes a night.

G Carey Price – Grade: A+

Oct 29, 2015; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (31) makes a save against the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports /

GP-W-L-OTL-GAA-SV%: 12-10-2-0-2.06-.934%

First and foremost, Price is listed here purely because injuries knocked him out for the vast majority of the year. However, based on those 12 games, Price was well on his way to having a repeat MVP performance. Not only were his surface stats in line with what he did in his MVP season, his advanced stats were shaping up to actually surpass his MVP season.

In his MVP year, Price posted 9 shutouts, 39 quality starts, 36.70 Goals Saved Above Average and 16.2 Goalie Point Shares. Taking Price’s numbers from his 12 games this year and pacing them out over 66 games, the same as he played last year, Price was on pace for 11 shutouts, 44 quality starts, 38.94 Goals Saved Above Average and 16.5 Goalie Point Shares.

Next: Canadiens Final Report Card: The Depth Players Part One

G Ben Scrivens – Grade: D-

GP-W-L-OTL-GAA-SV%: 15-5-8-0-3.07-.906%

Scrivens was brought aboard in late December to try and bring some stability to the Canadiens crease. Unfortunately, he failed to really do that and was a rather big disappointment with the Canadiens. Not only were his surface stats not pretty, his advanced metrics were also not pretty.

Continuing a trend started in Edmonton last year, Scrivens was unable to consistently stop pucks and step up for his teams. After posting an ugly -38.39 Goals Saved Above Average, Scrivens improved but still posted an unsightly -3.94 GSAA. That essentially means that Scrivens has cost his teams over 42 goals over his last 72 games.

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