The Montreal Canadiens season is less than a month away. Before the puck drops on the 2019-20 season, we are taking a deeper look at every Habs players and previewing what their role will be next season. Today, we look at Charles Hudon.
The Montreal Canadiens lost Andrei Markov to injury in the 2010-11 season. To fill the void, they gave up a second round draft pick for offensive defenceman James Wisniewski. After he scored 30 points in 43 games for the Canadiens, Wisniewski’s rights were dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a fifth round draft pick in the 2012 NHL Draft.
With that pick, the Montreal Canadiens selected Charles Hudon. They already knew Wisniewski was not going to re-sign with them, so they flipped him for a late draft pick. It is still difficult to tell what that draft pick will turn into for them.
Hudon was the 122nd player taken in that year’s draft. He was coming off a season where he scored 25 goals and 66 points in 59 games for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Alma, Quebec native was a bit small, but had proven to be a great two-way forward in the QMJHL.
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He was named the captain of the Sagueneens the following season and increased his point total by five each of the two years after being drafted by the Canadiens. A trade to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar led to a long playoff run and an invitation to join Canada at the World Juniors resulted in some big game experience for the fifth round pick.
Hudon turned pro for the 2014-15 season and had a solid rookie campaign for the Hamilton Bulldogs. He scored 19 goals and 57 points in 75 games and then had seasons of 28 and 27 goals for the St. John’s Ice Caps the next two years. He had proven during his entry-level contract that he was an exceptional two-way contributor at the American Hockey League level.
It was finally time for Hudon to make his mark in the National Hockey League. The 2017-18 seasons was his first full year with the Habs and he played well for them. He was mostly playing on the left wing of the fourth line but he scored ten goals and 30 points in 72 games. Those aren’t huge numbers but it’s not a bad thing if you can trust your fourth line winger defensively and he can score almost half a point per game.
Last season started well for Hudon. He had two goals and three points in his first six games and played as much as 13 minutes in one contest. He was still playing fourth line minutes so any offence is a bonus and it appeared he would continue to bring it at the same pace he did during his rookie season.
Then, the offence just stopped. Hudon played 26 more games and had one goal and one assist in that time. He become a frequent healthy scratch and after some depth moves at the trade deadline, he was basically forgotten. The last game he played was on February 19th. He played less than nine minutes that night and would sit in the press box as a healthy scratch for the remainder of the season.
Though the offence was non-existent, Hudon was not dominated by the opposing team while on the ice. While Hudon was on the ice last season, the Habs had 166 shots on goal and 169 shots against. The problem was, the Habs shooting percentage was a minuscule 5.4% while Hudon was playing. So, either Hudon was constantly on the ice against the greatest goaltender who ever lived, or his line generated chances just fine, but just couldn’t find the back of the net.
Keep in mind that his most frequent linemates last season were Matthew Peca and Nic Deslauriers and you might begin to see why no one could score goals when Hudon was on the ice.
It is not entirely his linemates fault, I suppose. However, when you watch Hudon on the ice he clearly knows how to play an efficient two-way game. His skating is fine, his hockey sense is great and he can handle the puck with ease. However, he did end last season with five points in 32 games.
With new arrivals like Nick Cousins and Ryan Poehling as well as depth players like Jordan Weal and Nate Thompson re-signing after being acquired last season there is more depth in the Habs lineup than there has been in the past few years. That means it is going to be more difficult than ever for Hudon to earn a roster spot next season.
The 25 year old winger did sign a one year and one way extension with the Canadiens. That doesn’t mean they can’t send him to the minors, it just means if they do he will still earn the $800,000 that he makes in the NHL. The Habs are in a great place financially, but even they wouldn’t want to spend $800,000 for a player to play for the Laval Rocket.
The contract, as well as Hudon’s age and ability make me believe he has a chance to earn a roster spot next season. Last season did not go the way he wanted it to, but that should motivate him even more this summer to get ready to prove he belongs with the team he grew up cheering for.
It’s possible that Cousins and Thompson beat Hudon out for a roster spot and he gets sent to the minors. However, I think Hudon has the talent to earn a depth role and I think we will see plenty of him playing alongside Ryan Poehling and Jordan Weal on the fourth line.
Playing with two players that have some offensive upside will see Hudon’s scoring totals go way up compared to when he played with Peca and Deslauriers who will likely be in the minor leagues next season. Hudon is way closer to the player who scored ten goals and 30 points two seasons ago than he is to the player who had a disappointing season last year.
I predict we will see him form a really good two-way fourth line with Poehling and Weal and he scores double digit goals and more than 30 points again next season.