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Canadiens Prospect Charles Hudon Deserves an NHL Shot

By William Mccomb

Nov 18, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; Montreal Canadiens forward Charles Hudon (54) takes a third espied shot against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 18, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; Montreal Canadiens forward Charles Hudon (54) takes a third espied shot against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /
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Since turning pro, Charles Hudon has quietly conquered the AHL level and is ready for a regular spot for the Canadiens.

When Canadiens fans think of the 2012 NHL draft, they think of Alex Galchenyuk and rightfully so. But Charles Hudon should also be on their radar as the former 5th round pick deserves his shot in the NHL.

Hudon has finished the past two seasons 2nd in team scoring for the Canadiens AHL affiliates. This year marks his 3rd AHL season, and yet again, he sits 2nd in team scoring. He’s done this despite missing 14 games due to injury, and a brief NHL call-up. All told, Hudon has scored 141 points(64 G, 77 A) in 175 AHL games across his three seasons.

So why hasn’t Hudon seen more NHL action? Unfortunately for Hudon, his brief three-game call-up back in November ended with a broken sternum. He missed a little over two weeks and was promptly sent back to St. John’s. After three games there, the injury bug bit him again as he sprained his ankle and missed a month of action(11 games).

Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens /

Montreal Canadiens

Since being sent down on December 7th, Hudon has managed 17 points(8 G, 9 A) and a +4 rating in 18 games for St. John’s. On the season, Hudon has totaled 31 points in 33 games.

Where Hudon Fits

Quite frankly, the Montreal Canadiens can’t score. At least, they haven’t been able to generate much offence since the calendar turned to 2017. Since January 1st, the Canadiens have scored just 2.38 goals per game. Those problems have peaked in February as the team has scored just 11 goals in their past 8 games(including being shutout three times).

Compounding the issues is that the team just can’t find consistent scoring outside of Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov. That duo has generated nearly 40% of the teams scoring in the new year. For a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, they can’t rely on that much scoring coming from just two players.

In particular, the 2nd line has proven ineffective for much of the past two months. Tomas Plekanec, Artturi Lehkonen, Andrew Shaw, Brendan Gallagher, Paul Byron, David Desharnais and Sven Andrighetto have all occupied a spot on the 2nd line at some point this season. Unfortunately, none of them have managed to consistently provide offensive help while there. Even Alex Galchenyuk has been unable to duplicate his success on the 2nd line since returning from a knee injury.

Prior to his dismissal, Michel Therrien struggled to find a long-term combination for the 2nd line. New head coach Claude Julien witnessed this struggle first hand in his first game on Saturday. If the Habs are to right the ship under Julien, they’ll need to find a way to generate secondary scoring.

A trade could always help solve these issues but the cost for a player like Matt Duchene or Gabriel Landeskog is steep if rumors are accurate. And even then, the Canadiens are one of several teams in the market for a top 6 forward. With a middle-of-the-pack farm system, the Canadiens face an uphill battle if they wish to pursue a big trade.

Hudon is far from a guarantee to be a top 6 forward in the NHL. However, he represents the best internal option that could help the team. With the Canadiens scoring issues, there’s no better time than now to see what Hudon could do.

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