Montreal Canadiens: Can This Team Compete Next Year Like Marc Bergevin Believes?
Suzuki, Romanov, bounce back from Domi, Kotkaniemi will be key
First of all, they have a terrific two-way line of Tomas Tatar, Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher. They are the best possession line in hockey and continue to get more and more offensively dangerous as well. That is a good starting point, but they were together this year and last year, so what’s going to be different?
Well, that line has been the first line for the past two years. They play terrific two-way hockey but aren’t exceptional offensive players. Tatar is on pace to set a career high in points but had 58 last year. Danault continues to improve his offence but his best year to date was his 53 points season a year ago. Gallagher plays the same, gritty, tough style every night but his best offensive year saw him score 54 points.
They are a great line, but they aren’t an overly powerful scoring line. They would make an unbelievable second line. The problem is, the Habs haven’t had more offensive options recently.
That might be changing very quickly right in front of us. Nick Suzuki continues to get better and better every month and looks like a first line centre already. He is a rookie 20 year old but he has scored 40 points in 62 games. That has come after a slow start saw him score six points in 17 games. So, in his last 45 games, Suzuki has 34 points.
That is pretty good for a rookie pro who has worked his way from fourth line winger to top six centre. Having Suzuki centering a top line next season could give the Habs a dangerous top six froward group if he can find the right wingers.
Jonathan Drouin started this year looking like a star player. He had 15 points in 18 games and was then injured and missed three months of hockey. He hasn’t been great since returning but it has only been a handful of games with a wrist that is surgically repaired. Before his injury he looked like a first line player that could easily surpass his career high of 53 points.
Max Domi has shown flashes of brilliance in his two seasons with the Habs but had been struggling before scoring twice against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. He had 72 points last season and though that may not be his normal pace in the future, he clearly has the potential to be a 65 point scorer or higher.
Putting Suzuki on a line with Drouin and Domi to start next season would give the Canadiens a line with more offensive potential than we have seen around Montreal in years. That would allow Danault’s line to settle in as a secondary offensive unit that can shut down any opponent and control the play for long stretches of games.
The Habs third line would then be the Finnish Line of Jesperi Kotakniemi, Artturi Lehkonen and Joel Armia. They have shown chemistry in the past and if Kotkaniemi can bounce back from his sophomore slump, this line could provide plenty of offence from the bottom six. Then there is still Jake Evans and Paul Byron to build a fourth line around.
That is tremendous depth up front, and with a bounce back from Domi and Kotkaniemi it could be a real scary offensive team.
On defence, if Bergevin doesn’t trade anyone out, he will have Ben Chiarot, Victor Mete and Brett Kulak returning on the left side and Shea Weber, Jeff Petry and Cale Fleury on the right.
So what will make them better next year? Alexander Romanov will be coming over from Russia where he has been playing in the KHL for two full seasons. He is a solid, defensive defenseman and could be playing big minutes with a guy like Petry throughout next season. The Habs are not pinning all of their hopes on Romanov next season, but he will improve the team’s defensive zone play and give them more depth on the blue line.