A Winning Habit
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Montreal Canadiens: What If Alex Radulov Re-Signed In Montreal?

By Ken MacMillan

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 16: Alexander Radulov #47 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrtaes his goal at 15:35 of the third period against the New York Rangers in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 16, 2017 in New York City. The Canadiens defeated the Rangers 3-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 16: Alexander Radulov #47 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrtaes his goal at 15:35 of the third period against the New York Rangers in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 16, 2017 in New York City. The Canadiens defeated the Rangers 3-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TEXAS – JANUARY 01: Alexander Radulov #47 of the Dallas Stars celebrates a goal against the Nashville Predators in the third period of the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Cotton Bowl on January 01, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS – JANUARY 01: Alexander Radulov #47 of the Dallas Stars celebrates a goal against the Nashville Predators in the third period of the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Cotton Bowl on January 01, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

This Season

The current season has gone terribly at times for the Montreal Canadiens and really well for long stretches as well. The Habs have been a Jekyll and Hyde act all year long. They started with a 11-5-3 record but then lost eight straight. Then they went 7-3-0 in their next ten but lost eight in a row again following that run. They then went 9-3-0, but most recently have lost three straight.

They face Radulov’s Dallas Stars tonight who are comfortably in a playoff spot, but the Canadiens are fading fast. Montreal is seven points back of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the final playoff berth in the Atlantic Division. Had they been able to stop their eight game losing streaks at six, they would be in a playoff spot.

Radulov is the type of player that brings an intensity, confidence and belief to a team. He brings everything he has on every shift and wills his teammates to do the same. He is like a more skilled Brendan Gallagher in that way. I think he would have had the right impact on this team on and off the ice that they could have ended those losing streaks earlier, or simply not let them pile up the way they did.

A big goal from him here and there at the right time would have turned a 2-1 overtime loss into a win. Or a 3-2 regulation loss would have went to overtime and given the team a chance to get two points instead of zero.

Radulov is now 33 years old and isn’t having the same offensive impact he has the past two years. Of course, with the way the Stars play this season, no one is having the same offensive impact they have recently. They are among the best defensive teams in hockey, but have sacrificed their offensive style to get there. Radulov still has 15 goals and 31 points in 52 games so he is playing at a rate that would result in 24 goals, 25 assists and 49 points in a full 82 game schedule.

If Radulov were in Montreal right now he would probably be playing on a line with Drouin and Domi for the second consecutive season. With the breakout performance from Suzuki, the Habs would have extraordinary depth at forward with Suzuki on a third line with Ilya Kovalchuk and Joel Armia.

With Radulov in town, we never would have seen Jordan Weal in the top six this season. The Nick Cousins experiment as a top nine winger would not have lasted nearly as long. The search for the right linemates (and position) for Domi would not have been necessary. The power play would run far more smoothly.

The list of positives Radulov would have had on the Canadiens in the past three seasons is endless. The only possible negative would have been fitting in his contract, but for the third straight year the Habs are spending far under the cap and would have easily been able to fit him in.

Also, for the second straight year the Canadiens would be in a playoff race right now and would likely be in third in their division with a roster that experienced the playoffs a year ago. Would they be Stanley Cup favourites? No, they would still have a chore of getting through the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning in their own division. But they would be a playoff team.

Next. Trading Domi for Brodin is poor value for Habs. dark

Marc Bergevin offered Alex Radulov a fair contract to stay in Montreal for five additional years. Had he accepted the offer, the Canadiens would be in a race for their third playoff appearance in the past four years instead of missing them altogether for the third straight year.

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