Canadiens: If Tomas Tatar is Traded, Who Replaces Him on Top Line?

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The Montreal Canadiens have one of the best lines in hockey. If they interrupt that chemistry with a trade, who is the best fit to fill in as a replacement and continue their two-way dominance?

The Montreal Canadiens have one of the best two-way lines in hockey. A look at any advanced statistics will quickly tell you that the trio of Tomas Tatar, Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher contributes offence for the Habs but is even better defensively.

If you look at possession stats like Corse-For percentage, Gallagher ranks first in the league, Tatar is second and Danault is fourth. The only player that interferes with them ranking 1-2-3 in order is former Montreal Canadiens winger Max Pacioretty who is having a terrific year with the Vegas Golden Knights.

The three forwards were put together early last season and though Claude Julien likes to mix his lines, he barely touched this line. The old saying goes, it if ain’t broke, don’t fix it and that certainly applies here. There are a lot of things broken around the Habs roster, mostly bones this season, but that top line is the least of their coach’s worries.

It is a nice tip of the cap to Habs management over the years that they were able to acquire this dominant line at bargain bin prices. Gallagher was a fifth round draft pick, Tatar was a throw-in to the Pacioretty trade that also saw super-rookie Nick Suzuki and a second round pick land in Montreal and Danault was acquired with a second round pick for Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann.

The three players also have a combined cap hit of less than $11.7 million. The entire lines makes almost exactly the same amount of money as Auston Matthews. So, not only is the line the best possession line in hockey and they were acquired for next to nothing, they also come at a bargain price.

That last part will not last forever though. All three of them have one year left on their contracts and will be looking for big raises. The Canadiens could elect to bring them all back next season, push for the playoffs and risk losing them all for nothing. Or they could move one of them, possibly even as soon as Monday before this year’s trade deadline passes.

Tatar is the name that continues to pop up in trade rumours most often. With the high prices being paid for top six wingers right now, it would make sense for Marc Bergevin to field offers for Tatar and pull the trigger if he gets a great deal. If he does get a huge offer of picks and prospects, who will replace Tatar on one of the best two-way lines in hockey next season?

Let’s take a quick look at three potential options:

Artturi Lehkonen

Artturi Lehkonen is in his fourth season with the Canadiens but it is still difficult to decide what type of player he is going to be long term. He is a smart, defensively sound winger. He shows bursts of offence that make you believe he is an ideal top six winger but then follows that up with long scoring droughts that make you think he is a penalty killing specialist.

One sure way to find out if he can score at a consistent rate would be to give him Danault and Gallagher as linemates and see what he can do. He has 12 goals and 25 points in 62 games this season so he is scoring at less than half of a point per game pace but it would be interesting to see what he can bring that up to given a consistent top six role.

Lehkonen has often been placed in a top six role for a short period of time. He seems to have different linemates every second game and is switching back and forth between left and right wing. A little consistency could go a long way for the 24 year old. Lehkonen had a career high 18 goals as a rookie and his 31 points last season was his best season to date.

Putting him with Danault and Gallagher would ensure the line remains just as good, if not better defensively. There is no question it would be a step down offensively as Tatar currently has 54 points and Lehkonen has 25. I’m sure he would close that gap considerably if he were playing with Danault and Gallagher consistently. Lehkonen could make this line an even better shutdown line and also chip in close to 20 goals and 45-50 points.

If Tatar is traded in the next few days, I think it would make a lot of sense to give Lehkonen a chance to play on that line for the final two months to see if he can bring a bit more offence while being his normal puck stealing, battle winning, shutdown winger.

If Lehkonen doesn’t work out to end the year, perhaps the Habs could dip into the free agent pool to find a better replacement.

2. Taylor Hall

The only reason the Canadiens are so hesitant to sell any of these players who have one year left on their deals is they want to compete next year. The team hasn’t really competed this year, and they just missed the playoffs last year. Bergevin believes this year was derailed by injuries and that they could compete for a playoff spot next year.

Well, next year’s team is going to look a lot like last year’s team that almost got in with the addition of Nick Suzuki and Ben Chiarot and the departure of Jordie Benn and Andrew Shaw. If the Habs decide to add Tatar to that departure list, they could decide to make a big splash to ensure they can compete next year.

The biggest possible splash would be to sign unrestricted free agent Taylor Hall this summer. If Bergevin is serious about competing next year he is going to have to give this roster a bit of a boost somehow. Signing the 2018 Hart Trophy winner would certainly do the trick.

Hall was already traded this season and is likely to hit the free agent market in July. He has 47 points in 57 games split between the New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes. His offensive production is similar to Tatar’s this season but he has a much better track record over the course of his career. Hall plays a tenacious, gritty style but also has the skill, speed and flash of some of the best offensive players in the game.

Hall has had a difficult time finding the right chemistry with linemates throughout his career. Danault and Gallagher play a simple, hardworking, style and thrive on winning battles for pucks and playing the cycle game. Putting Hall in the slot in the offensive zone while Danault and Gallagher do the heaviest lifting in the corners and in front of the net would give Hall the freedom to carry the puck up ice and then get open in the offensive zone and prepare for scoring chances.

It is a bit of a fantasy land here obviously as there is no guarantee Hall would even want to sign in Montreal or that the Habs would think he is the right fit at the huge contract he is sure to demand. However, if the Canadiens really want to compete next year, a two-way line of Hall-Danault-Gallagher would go a long way in ensuring they qualify for the postseason.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN – JANUARY 07: Max Domi #13 of the Montreal Canadiens skates against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on January 07, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

1. Max Domi

Max Domi has mostly played center since he joined the Canadiens to start last season. For the first time in many, many years in Montreal, there are going to be too many centers on the team and someone will have to move to the wing.

Nick Suzuki has played too well in the middle as a 20 year old to move him anywhere. Danault is a terrific two-way center and will continue to play that role for the foreseeable future and Jesperi Kotkaniemi had a disappointing season with the Habs this year but will be back at center for the Habs in the near future.

That leaves Domi as the most logical current center to move to the wing when Kotkaniemi returns to the roster. He plays a gritty, physical style but also has some fancy stick-handling skills, can be a very creative playmaker and has an underrated shot. We haven’t seen him bring his top offensive game as often this season, but also year he scored 28 goals and 72 points for the Habs.

With his skills, he could be the best fit to take over Tatar’s role without adding someone from outside the organization. if Domi plays with Danault and Gallagher, it would still be a great defensive line and would have just as much offensive potential as it did with Tatar.

This would allow Suzuki to stay at center next year with Jonathan Drouin and Joel Armia. Kotkaniemi could be back on the third line with Paul Byron and Lehkonen (or Cole Caufield if he plays well at camp).

No matter what they do with the other lines, or who else is brought in over the summer, I think partnering Domi on left wing with Danault and Gallagher is the best solution to fill the void left by a Tatar trade. Domi is not the greatest defensive player, but has some untapped offensive potential that isn’t being realized this season.

Domi could be freed up a bit offensively playing with Danault and Gallagher who would do the heavy lifting defensively. Domi would be asked to carry the puck through the neutral zone more but that is definitely a strength of his and Danault and Gallagher have no problem finishing off plays when given scoring chances.

Next. Avalanche a great fit for Tatar. dark

Tatar-Danault-Gallagher has been a dominant two-way line for the past two years. If Tatar is dealt, the Habs have a few options to fill the role internally, but the best fit would be to move Domi to the wing and let him take over Tatar’s role.

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