With 54 days until the start of the Montreal Canadiens season, we’re reminded that Charles Hudon has a big year ahead of him to right some wrongs.
If anyone should be extremely excited for the season to start, it’s Charles Hudon. After a number of offensively productive years in the QMJHL and the AHL split between the Hamilton Bulldogs and St Johns Ice Caps, the 2012 fifth-round pic made the Montreal Canadiens roster out of camp for the 2017-18 season.
Things started out well for him in training camp as he seemed to have created some fluid on-ice chemistry with Tomas Plekanec and Artturi Lehkonen. However, the bad luck charm floated around him, similarly with Lehkonen, and he had all the chances with little to show for it.
Despite that, ten goals and ten assists isn’t a horrible total for a player’s first full season in the NHL. Especially when you consider the state of the team as a whole. The disappointments lie in the fact that many fans expected more. In our season expectations for Hudon last summer, we had Hudon scoring around 20 goals. Can he ever reach that total?
A lot of things will have to come together for that. It’s highly unlikely Hudon is a 5.6 shooting percentage player. His 179 shots were the fourth highest on the Montreal Canadiens last season, and the goal totals can only increase if he continues to fire at that rate. And it’s not only the number of shots Hudon has coming off of his stick but the area of them as well.
What doesn’t work in his favour is where he will be playing in the lineup. Hudon is most likely starting the season on the fourth line unless other injuries or complications occur. If that’s the, his production may remain the same, at least at 5v5, but those totals can still see a boost if Claude Julien gives him time on the power play. However, there’s competition on that front as well.
The most ideal situation is Hudon makes the most out of the minutes he’s given. He and newcomer Matthew Peca could do a lot of damage together if they end being two of the three members on the fourth line. Both players are fast skaters, and Peca has set up a lot of goals in his professional experience.
All signs should point to Hudon having an improved season on all fronts. He’s also entering the final of a two-year extension that will see him make $650,000. If Hudon wants to remain as part of the solution moving forward and earn a pay raise as well, he’s going to have to break out as a member of this team.