The Search for More Offence
I touched on it a little in the previous section, but the Montreal Canadiens are going to need more scoring. Brendan Gallagher had a career year with 31 goals, and it can’t only be him putting pucks in the net. Additionally, the team is losing goals with the departure of Galchenyhuk and Pacioretty.
The new guys again play into this conversation. Domi may be able to score more if he and Drouin work out. I looked at the numbers in a previous post on the possible matchup, and Domi’s drop in production went hand-in-hand with the Martin Hanzal trade out of Arizona. That’s not to say Hanzal was a master playmaker or anything, but he was a distraction on the ice allowing Domi to use his speed and fire quick shots from the slot.
It also could tie into the fact that the 23-year-old was new and the league figured him out. But having two threats spreads the focus and may open up more opportunities.
Tatar has been a consistent 20-goal scorer for some time now, only getting close to 30 once. A lot of his production comes at even strength which will work playing with Danault who contributes well in advancing the puck and supporting it down low. If Tatar can get time and space in the mid-low range of the offensive zone, he’ll find twine.
Lehkonen and Hudon can help in the effort as well. Both finished with 12 and 10 goals respectively which was a disappointing total for the former. However, given their shot total and most importantly the quality of shots taken, there was a good deal of snake venom at work. The Montreal Canadiens will find more scoring throughout their lineup if they can both manage to find the back of the net.