Is Shea Weber’s impact being overlooked on the Montreal Canadiens?
This week, we discuss Phillip Danault and his hat-trick, who the ideal first-round opponent would be for the Montreal Canadiens, and Shea Weber’s impact.
1) What did you make of Phillip Danaul’s hat-trick? Is there more offence in his game?
Sebastian: Phillip Danault was a joy to watch in the offensive zone against Vegas on Saturday afternoon. He was a constant threat and was rewarded with his first hat-trick in the NHL. While it will undoubtedly add to his confidence, no one should expect him to become a 20 goal scorer because it is not his job to score goals on his line; Gallagher and Tatar are the scoring threats. However, 15 goals and 50 points are within the realm of possibility if he really gets his gears moving, His performance against Vegas may spark this kind of rise in production.
Zack Cook: It was incredible showing from Danault in a game where the Montreal Canadiens certainly needed the two points. I was probably most impressed by his first goal; I wasn’t sure Danault had a shot like that in him. On the other hand, I think people need to temper their expectations in regards to offensive expectations for Danault. It seems rather unlikely that he’ll ever be a 55-60 point center, but the Canadiens should be very happy that they have a reliable, two-way center that will likely hit forty points each season. Every good team has depth, and sooner rather than later, Danault will be that third line shutdown center for Montreal that can also chip in offence.
Collin Jones: I don’t think there’s any doubt that Danault has potential to produce on the offensive side of the puck. He’s winning nearly 52% of his face-offs this season. And I never feel like he is invisible out there. Whether that’s offensively or defensively. I always see him making a solid effort. He has a knack for making plays and for getting involved. In an ideal world, he is a really solid 2nd or 3rd center.
I don’t, however, think his hat-trick is indicative of any offensive spurt in his game. One reason is that the leading goal-scorers for the Montreal Canadiens haven’t been producing nearly as much. In fact, they’ve been silent. [I am speaking of Max Domi, Jonathan Drouin, and Tomas Tatar.] Which seems to have played into Danault’s effort against Vegas. I hate to say that it was a fluke, but it was a fluke.
But at the end of the day, Phillip Danault is tied for the most hat-tricks in the National Hockey League. That’s worth something I suppose, right?
Omar White: If anyone needed a night to score a bunch of goals, it was Danault. The 25-year-old hadn’t scored since Shea Weber‘s debut, and it didn’t stand out too much given the production from his linemates. But the cloud of pessimism around Danault began to arise when the Montreal Canadiens 5v5 scoring took a hit for a couple of games.
Confidence-wise, it was a great thing for Danault. Everyone needs a game of production, and although he isn’t the go-to offensive guy, there is some underlying skill within his frame. The thing is, it’s his role on the team that limits how much can be brought out at a time. I’m not saying there’s an inner Connor McDavid hidden within Danault, but the Habs, and most importantly Claude Julien, rely on him to be a key defensive player.
That entails winning faceoffs, being safe in the neutral zone, and getting the puck to Gallagher and Tatar. His role isn’t to go out and score goals; it’s to ensure goals aren’t scored.
You can look back at Danault’s track record for the second part of this question. He put up first-round worthy numbers in the QMJHL with the Victoriaville Tigres scoring 67 in 64 in his draft year and 71 in 62 the season after. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to bring that over to the professional realm of hockey.
Danault had 6 goals and 20 assists in 72 games with the Rockford IceHogs and improved to 38 in 70 in the 2014/15 season that also saw him make his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks. Not much to build off of. He’s put up the most numbers in his time in Montreal, and it’s unlikely he’ll do more than that.
Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t a bad thing. As I said, Danault has tools. Think of his first of three goals. That one-timer is quick and accurate and has been used by the centre several times. Additionally, we can’t forget about his end-to-end goal against the Winnipeg Jets.
Danault may not put up ‘number one centre’ numbers, but he has the potential to have another 40-point year, especially if his line continues to do well.
2) If you could fast forward the calendar to April, who would be the ideal opponent for the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs?
S: Ideally, Montreal would face a team like Ottawa, which would be intense and which we would probably win. However, as this matchup would be extremely unlikely, I’ll focus on a different intense matchup, Boston.
We hate the Bruins, and they hate us, they are arguably our greatest rivals, and a playoff round against them would be so much fun to watch! I think we are evenly matched teams and the series would be intense, fast-paced, heated and loud (think back to when the entire Bell Centre booed the refs against the Sens for the joke embellishment call on Artturi Lehkonen, that noise for 7 straight games). Count me in for that series!
Read. Alzner's Opportunity. light
ZC: This is a tough question to answer. I think just getting into the playoffs would be a massive step forward for Montreal, especially with key pieces for the club still waiting in the wings. Looking at the current playoff teams, I’m not really sure of a team that the Habs match up with well.
That isn’t a fault of Montreal’s; I just think the East is very strong this year. When Montreal uses their speed, they can skate with any team in the NHL. If I had to pick one team though, it’s probably Buffalo, and that seems like a rather unlikely match up. Two teams on the rise and with bright futures would make for a heck of a first-round series.
CJ: This is a difficult question. The team I would like for the Montreal Canadiens to face the first round of the playoffs would probably be the Boston Bruins. This is certainly an unpopular opinion, but I think Montreal can take Boston in seven games. That is a tall order from a Montreal team that was put down 4-0 in their last meeting.
But I think that the team Montreal faces first round of the playoffs has to be a team that fires the team up. It cannot be a team that Montreal hadn’t cared about in the regular season. It needs to be a team that makes the club hungry for wins. [I think this was the case with Montreal a couple of seasons back when they faced the New York Rangers—they got beat because the Rangers didn’t mean much to Montreal in the regular season. At least that’s how I see it.] Boston would be my pick. Take it or leave it.
OW: The keyword in this question truly is ideal. If the playoffs were to begin tomorrow, the Montreal Canadiens would be taking on the reigning Stanley Cup Champ Washington Capitals. That could be intimidating, but the Habs have overcome the odds at the expense of the Capitals in the past.
Two other fun series would be against the Leafs and Bruins. Facing Boston in the playoffs needs to explanation. There’s been so much hate between the two teams over the years and seeing them square off when every single game is crucial would be insane. Toronto, on the other hand, could add some serious fire to the “rivalry.”
Sure the Leafs and Habs have been deemed rivals over the years, but they haven’t played against each other in the playoffs in over 30 years. A fiery series is always the way to get something like that going.
But the question is ideal. The last time the Montreal Canadiens won a playoff series was in 2015 finishing the Ottawa Senators off in six games. The second round took just as long, and Tampa came out of it with the victory. Of all the teams in the East, facing Buffalo is the best way to have an energetic series and secure a victory.
It only took seven years, but the Sabres finally have a team good enough to contend for a playoff spot. And with that comes a boatload of inexperience. The Habs, on the other hand, have a number of players who have been there and know what it takes to win.
3) Is the immediate impact of Shea Weber on the Habs being overlooked?
S: I think it would be a stretch to say that the importance of our captain’s return has been overlooked, but I think it has not been talked about enough. Shea Weber, in my opinion, is the team’s most crucial player at the moment.
He is a rock in defence and a constant threat to the opponent due to his passing range and his rocket of a shot. Most notably, however, is how he makes everyone around him better. Carey Price‘s stats have improved drastically since Weber’s return and Jeff Petry is thriving in his second pairing role.
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ZC: A lot of people like to forget how good Shea Weber is, and try to diminish his career accomplishments. Weber is still a bonafide number one, shutdown defenceman that can log big minutes for any time in the National Hockey League and its astounding the type of impact he’s already had this season in a limited sample size.
Weber undoubtedly stabilizes the Canadiens backend, letting Jeff Petry and company shift down to roles more suitable for their skill set. The “trade” will forever be talked about, but there’s no doubt the impact Weber is having on the Canadiens blueline.
CJ: I don’t think so. He’s received plenty of press and air time. What I do think has hurt Weber is that he does not have a solid blue-liner on his left side. This has greatly impacted his play, no doubt. He is essentially having to pull double duty every time he’s on the ice. I would say that’s probably where he isn’t receiving enough credit.
Since his return, Weber has contributed to the massive shots on goal for the Montreal Canadiens, and has helped Carey Price’s confidence in net. [Price’s save percentage has gone up dramatically since the captain’s return.]
While I don’t think Shea Weber has been shorted on the way he has kept this Montreal club relevant this year, I don’t think he has been given enough credit in the way that he has affected the rest of the team’s play. He’s a contagious player, who rubs off onto the others. It’s fun to watch, and I can only hope it continues for the duration of the season.
OW: The lack of dialogue on how good Weber has been speak to his pedigree in the NHL. If any other player was doing this, I think it would get more steam. Think about it. An injury from day one of last season lingers until December, and the player still tries to grind through it. Eventually, he is shut down and requires an additional surgery on something else to get back to speed.
They’re expected to return to the team mid-December of the current season but instead returns at the end of November. Instead of being eased back into the lineup, the coaching staff leaves the bench door open allowing the defender to play a little north of 25 minutes while earning an assist. The next game – his second in almost a year – he scores two goals and plays close to 25 minutes again.
That’s Shea Weber, who currently has 5 goals and 4 assists in 14 games. Considering the worry about his play declining, it’s pretty incredible to see the 33-year-old do the complete opposite and help the Habs stabilize their blueline.
I don’t think Weber needs to be on every single billboard, but he has had a heart-warming story so far this season. The only thing the Montreal Canadiens need to do is find a partner for him, and everything else will be gravy.
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Who knows what the future holds for Weber, but he’s helping this team win games and his role will be even more important with Carey Price being out. That said, he’s up to the cchallenge He always has been.