Kirk Muller may not be the problem with the Montreal Canadiens power play

The Montreal Canadiens had a weak power play, and the blame has fallen to Kirk Muller, but given how strong Team Canada’s is, he may not be the issue.

Of all the things to mull over from the Montreal Canadiens this season, the power play has been the number one target. The Habs were a top-five team in 5v5 scoring and a top-ten team in even-strength scoring overall, but their man advantage was second last in the league firing at 13.2%.

It got to several points throughout the season that if Montreal weren’t scoring at 5v5, they weren’t scoring period, and it would cost them games whenever the team was in desperate need of a goal off a Carey Price show.

The specifics of the man advantage units have been looked at by many, including us. Considering all the factors, it came down to repeated and unnecessary complacency, unit combinations, and overthinking. Another thing that came up was looking at the Montreal Canadiens power play when they did manage to score. It didn’t happen as often in the latter half of the season, but the bulk of their power play goals were off some kind of offensive rush with speed mimicking how the team produced at 5v5.

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It’s been a carousel of finger pointing when it comes to the power play, but Kirk Muller has had his name in the ringer more than once in this department. The assistant coach oversees the man advantage in Montreal, and it’s tough not to agree with the idea he failed the team. The Habs are used to having a middling power play that finishes in the teens relative to the rest of the NHL, but this year was a different animal.

There is one thing that may change the perception of Muller’s impact. Team Canada brought him on board to be part of the coaching staff at the 2019 IIHL World Hockey Championships in Slovakia.

Canada has been doing well as they sit second in Group A with 15 points behind Team Finland. However, they have the best power play in the tournament, which is firing at 58.82% scoring ten goals on 17 opportunities. The closes man advantage after Canada’s is the US who are at a clean 50%.

It looks as if Muller’s PP system is working at the Worlds, but why? The key difference is the players. Canada has the likes of Anthony Mantha, Jonathan Marchessault, and Mark Stone potting in goals for them. Stone would’ve been an incredible addition ahead of the trade deadline, but it also would’ve been an expensive price to pay.

That said, there’s no telling how the dynamic of the Habs offence and the power play would’ve looked like if Stone was on the team.

There is another difference to keep in mind. Canada’s power play is dangerous, but they’ve been lighting up teams such as Great Britain, France, Germany, and Denmark. They’ve played only a single game against a hockey power losing 3-1 to Finland, but they did manage to score on the man advantage via Marchessault’s first of the tournament.

It may not need to be at an extreme when trying to tie this back to the Montreal Canadiens. Canada’s players move the puck a lot on the power play, and they have cost teams who have chosen to over-commit to a single position. However, they also benefit from having pure goal scorers to finish on those opportunities.

The Habs have Max Domi and Brendan Gallagher who did a lot of damage offensively this season. Perhaps adding a Stone/Max Pacioretty piece to play in the top-six is a part of Marc Bergevin‘s wish list for the summer. It could also come down to some of the team’s scorers finding more consistency or taking a step in the right direction.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi has a good shot and can be that trigger on the power play. Could Artturi Lehkonen become that person and shake the doubt from those who believe his first season was a fluke? Can Jonathan Drouin become a consistent producer for the Montreal Canadiens?

The bigger ice surely makes it easier, but it’s tough to completely fault Muller when the man advantage overseas is getting results.