A Winning Habit
Fansided

Montreal Canadiens: A Healthy Habs Lineup Actually Looks Impressive

By Ken MacMillan

MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 17: Brendan Gallagher #11, Phillip Danault #24 and Tomas Tatar #90 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrate after scoring a goal against the St. Louis Blues in the NHL game at the Bell Centre on October 17, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 17: Brendan Gallagher #11, Phillip Danault #24 and Tomas Tatar #90 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrate after scoring a goal against the St. Louis Blues in the NHL game at the Bell Centre on October 17, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Montreal Canadiens
MONTREAL, QC – JANUARY 12: Jesperi Kotkaniemi #15 of the Montreal Canadiens looks towards teammate Jonathan Drouin #92 of the Montreal Canadiens against the Colorado Avalanche during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on January 12, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Colorado Avalanche 3-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Third Line:

Jonathan Drouin – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Joel Armia

Jonathan Drouin was off to a great start to the season, scoring 15 points in 19 games before being injured against the Washington Capitals in the middle of November. He tied a career high last year with 53 points but looked poised to blow past that mark before his injury.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s offensive totals are disappointing right now, but with better wingers he would surely produce at a better rate. He has been used a lot with Nick Cousins and Jordan Weal lately, but would be able to provide far more offence if he played with more offensive players like Drouin and Armia.

Speaking of Armia, he was also on pace for a career year before injuries struck. He scored 12 goals in 35 games, putting him within shouting distance of a 30 goal season. He’s big, smart, great defensively, good along the boards and can fire a quick wrist shot that beats any goalie in the world. This is a terrific luxury for a third line.

Fourth Line:

Paul Byron – Nate Thompson – Artturi Lehkonen

Paul Byron wasn’t having his best season before being injured, but his speed, defensive play and penalty killing ability are assets on any team. He had just four points in 19 games, but scored at a 20 goal pace for each of the past three seasons.

Thompson doesn’t score a ton but he is the best face-off man on the team, can be counted on to kill penalties and brings a veteran leadership that is otherwise lacking among the Habs forwards.

Lehkonen is also a penalty killer that is an extremely smart, defensive player. He wins so many battles, steals pucks from opposing players with great frequency and is always in the right spot. He has provided more offense this season than we have seen in the past, but even without points Lehkonen brings a positive impact to the Canadiens lineup.

Home/Analysis