Why The Canadiens Should Bring Back Thomas Vanek

2. HE HAS ALREADY PLAYED IN MONTREAL

Mar 25, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens celebrate their win against Buffalo Sabres after the third period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

You never know if a player — any player — is going to be able to adjust to playing in hockey’s most pressurized market. The air we breathe is different here in Montreal and this city has seen many players fail to adequately adjust to the pressure. That always makes signing free agents a bit of a risk.

Vanek though, has already discovered what it is like to play here in Montreal. Some players play for one team for so long that they have a hard time dealing with a change. When they first suit up, it could take a while until they find their comfort zone and begin producing. Until October of last year, Vanek had been a part of the Sabres organization since he was drafted by them in 2003. But being traded midseason — twice — has already provided him with the experience of his first (and second) team changes. He now knows what it is like to play in Montreal.

The chemistry Vanek was able to develop with David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty was unprecedented. In the regular season games played after the Canadiens acquired Vanek, the three of them put up a combined 45 points in 54 games (15 each). They were dancing around their opponents with ease and were being called the most dangerous line in the league. Desharnais and Pacioretty said they had to adjust to their new lineman but it was all for the better.