Montreal Canadiens 2019-20 Season Report Card Grades

B. Carey Price had a tumultuous season and was hung out to dry by his defence and his head coach for much of the season. He was vastly overworked, having played 171 minutes (or 2.85 games) more than any other goalie in the league and his numbers suffered as a result. He was in very poor for in November but looked like the Carey Price of old for the majority of the season. While his stats (2.79 GAA, .909 S%) were mediocre at best, he did decently well given the circumstances. This team rises and falls with Carey Price, and he will need to step up his game to a consistently high level of play if he is going to justify that megalodon-sized contract… not that the cap-space would be used for much else otherwise.. . . CAREY PRICE

. . KEITH KINKAID. F. This season did not go according to plan for @Blockaid. Having been brought in as a free agent, the hope had been that he would present the Canadiens with their first reliable backup goaltender since Peter Budaj. Unfortunately, following a promising preseason performance, Kinkaid lasted just six games with the Canadiens before being rather ruthlessly sent down to the Laval Rocket. His six games as a Hab featured one win, a 4.24 GAA and a .875 S%. His fortunes did not improve in Laval, posting a 3.44 GAA and a .876 S% in 13 contests, winning just three games. He has since been loaned out to the Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate where he picked up his play a bit. Since he failed to become a solid backup option, he gets an F.

CHARLIE LINDGREN. C -. Lindgren played six games with the Habs this season, winning twice. While his stat line is nicely patterned: 3.33 GAA and .888 S%, it is far from impressive. Watching him play is rather interesting as he has a tendency to make a handful of unbelievable saves every single game, before failing to track a simple shot from the point. In other words, he has nearly elite reflexes but leaves much to be desired when it comes to what should be routine saves. I hope he is able to improve these attributes for next season and contend for the backup job as his athleticism results in saves that get fans to jump out of their seats.. .

CAYDEN PRIMEAU. B+. Primeau played just two games with the Canadiens in his rookie season as a pro, but impressed fans with his calm demeanour and success at keeping the puck out of his net. Primeau won once and deserved to win his debut, but was let down by the Habs’ offence. He saved 93.1% of shots directed his way and posted a 2.52 GAA; not half bad for a 20-year-old drafted in the seventh round. Of course, the NHL sample size is tiny, so his AHL stats are much more revealing of his current development. Primeau had an excellent start and an excellent finish to his debut AHL season, but the middle portion of the season dragged his stats down to a 2.45 GAA and a .908 S%.. .

D. The Pittsburgh native played just nine games with the Habs, scoring a grand total of zero points, but had been producing at nearly a point/game pace with the Rocket before being packaged along with Phil Varone for Joe Blandisi and Jake Lucchini (two other AHL bodies) in order to fix a Laval attitude problem just prior to the deadline. He did not have an impact on the Habs and will be quickly forgotten by Habs faithful if that hasn’t already occurred.. RW. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. RILEY BARBER

D+. Peca played just five games on the Canadiens’ fourth line this season, but actually played decently, adding some speed and offensive upside to the line; he did, however, record zero points. He was traded to Ottawa for a 7th round pick and an AHL body. Meh.. C. Ottawa Senators. MATTHEW PECA

Scandella was acquired from Sabre-ville on January 2nd for a 4th round selection and in his 20 game stint in his hometown was able to shore up the struggling penalty kill, stabilize the left side of defence and score a third-period equalizer against the Leafs at the Bell Centre, a game Ilya Kovalchuk would later end in OT. He seemed to love playing for his childhood team and the love was reciprocated by the fans. He was traded to St. Louis for a 2nd and a conditional 4th four days after Valentine’s day; quite the haul for a solid if unspectacular defenceman. I do not believe that I would be alone in hoping he re-ups with the Habs this offseason at a reasonable price… I really like Scandella!. LD. St. Louis Blues. MARCO SCANDELLA. B+

I have voiced my dislike of Mike Reilly in the past, having also graded his re-signing an F this past summer; which retrospectively was the wrong grade as he somehow fetched Bergevin a 5th round selection from the Ottawa Senators. Anyway, in 14 games, Reilly produced a decent total of four assists, but his offensive ability has never been what enraged Habs supporters; it’s his absolute inability to defend that warranted that. Before I get too carried away, I will leave it at this, Reilly hurt his team significantly more than he helped it in his 14 games and I am glad his days as a Hab are finished.. LD. Ottawa Senators. MIKE REILLY. F

A. Kovalchuk presented Habs fans with such a wonderful storyline this season. Having terminated his contract with the LA Kings and being unable to find a suitor for two weeks, he ended up signing a pro-rated $700 000 contract with the Canadiens. In his 22 games in La Belle Province, he exemplified the passion and love for hockey of the Habs’ supporters. His leadership was appreciated by everyone in the room, his trio of game-winning goals led the team and his 6-7-13 totals demonstrated that he still has what it takes to play in this league. He was traded to the Capitals on the eve of deadline day for a 3rd round pick. I would love to have him back for next season!. LW. Washington Capitals. ILYA KOVALCHUK

Philadelphia Flyers. NATE THOMPSON. B -. Nate Thompson was absolutely beloved in the locker room and brought leadership to the ice. This season, he struggled with many aspects of the game (such as penalty killing and point production) following a strong start, but his surprising foot speed and reputable faceoff ability made him a competent fourth-line centre for this team. His greatest accomplishment this season was in smoothing the transition from junior to pro hockey for Nick Suzuki, whose play consistently improved after being paired with Uncle Nate. He was traded to the Flyers for a 5th round pick at the deadline.. C

B+. Nick Cousins was a solid free agency pickup this past summer and scored 9 goals and 22 points in his 58 games as a Hab. While many Canadiens’ supporters, myself included, became infuriated with his usage on the man advantage, he was very effective in his role as a bottom-six checking winger. While he did not replace the grit of Andrew Shaw as some had hoped, he did well in chirping and irritating opponents. Unfortunately, he did not seem interested in re-signing here and was subsequently shipped to Vegas for a 4th round pick in 2021 right before the trade deadline came to an end.. LW. Vegas Golden Knights. NICK COUSINS

I have a real soft spot for Cale Fleury. I love his physical play and I think he will be a really solid #4/5 defenseman for the Habs for years to come. He played in 41 games for the team and – while his impact was not seen on the scoresheet, registering a single goal and no assists – registered 102 hits, which equates to approximately 2.49 hits per game. For comparison, Jeff Petry matched Fleury’s 2.49 hits/game while Shea Weber registered 1.72 and Ben Chiarot hit opponents 2.2 times per contest. This paints a picture of a young, physical defenseman who did not back down when faced with older, stronger competition. While he was sent back down to Laval in order to continue to mature, he did not look out of place on the biggest stage, and I cannot wait to see what he is able to do next season!. . . CALE FLEURY. B -

CHRISTIAN FOLIN. C -. Christian Folin spent the season split between the Habs, the Rocket and the pressbox; and failed to be all that noticeable in any of the three places. He played most of his 16 NHL games of the season after Cale Fleury’s demotion and I honestly saw him as a downgrade upon the 21-year-old Saskatchewanian (or is it Saskatchewanite… or even Saskatchewanan?). Anyway, Folin seemed a bit slow and clumsy, especially when on the opposite blue-line trying to keep the puck in the offensive zone. I wouldn’t be surprised if he walks as a free agent, and wouldn’t really care all that much either. While he is a rather imposing player, guys like him are a dime a dozen; next!. .

. JEFF PETRY. A. Jeff Petry is one of the league’s premier second-line defensemen and we have been lucky enough to have had him here for the past five seasons. Whether or not he will remain on the team by preseason is a story for another day, but what shall be said right now is that he had another excellent season playing with a slew of different left-defensemen ranging from Victor Mete to Marco Scandella to Brett Kulak. Petry was able to elevate the game of each and every player he was paired with, which was most notable in Brett Kulak’s struggles on the third pairing and his eventual “renaissance” when once again being paired with the Michigan native. Petry tallied 11 goals and 40 points this season, staying on pace to equal his personal point summit he had established last season. These stats place him at 15th in goals amongst defensemen this past season and 18th in points. The man ages like a fine wine..

A -. Shea Weber had a rather interesting season. He started off rather slowly and had people chittering that his decline was in full swing. Then, he went on an absolute tear, tallying 11 goals and 27 points in a 29 game span (which included the first 8-game losing streak of the season) between October 17 and December 19. This tear had people talking about a potential Norris nomination, but those talks quickly faded, as he only put up 4 goals and 3 assists in the 29 games since December 19. Of course, this is only looking at his offensive production; defensively, he was quite sound for most of the season with the exception of a few poor games. He does seem to have lost a step of speed, but his high degree of intellect makes it a rather small issue, and he never relied much on his speed to begin with. The captain also proved himself to be a certified beast, returning from an injury that had some worrying about his career in a matter of days. Weber continued to be an integral part of the team this season and will continue to do so in 2020-21.. . . SHEA WEBER

Leskinen played one handful of games with the Habs this season and gave the impression of being an unpolished rookie, which Joel Bouchard will continue to work on changing next season. The newly-turned 23-year-old Finn has the potential of becoming an NHL regular and has displayed his playmaking ability in the AHL, registering 20 assists in 52 games. As for this NHL season though, he is simply one of the myriads of left-handed defensemen to play a few games in the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge.. . . OTTO LESKINEN. C -

D+. Having had 56 games of NHL experience and being 25-years of age, my expectations for Olofsson were a tad bit higher than they were for Leskinen and I am less forgiving in my evaluation as a result. Yes, Olofsson played just 3 games with the Habs, but he seemed weak and rather ineffective in any of the three zones. While I doubt it, I hope he will be able to forge himself an NHL career, as he has fought through countless injuries and seems to be a rather personable individual. Better luck next year, Gus, and stay healthy!. . . GUSTAV OLOFSSON

. XAVIER OUELLET. B -. The Frenchman played 12 games with the Habs this season after the trading-away of Marco Scandella, recording two assists. The Laval captain actually looked pretty good in the small sample of NHL games he played in this season, keeping the puck out of his net. He sported a +/- of 0, which is surprisingly good for a third-pairing guy, especially considering the team had a record of 4-7-1 in the games he played. His possession metrics were also very good (54.4 CF%). More importantly, though, he seemed to be a consistently solid defenseman, doing exactly what was expected of him, and doing it well. Let us see if he lands a roster spot next season, I for one would not be averse to it at all..

C -. Poor Karl Alzner. On the one hand, it’s hard not to feel bad for the proclaimed nicest guy in hockey and his failure to adapt his game to the league’s progression toward a faster game. On the other, he still is pocketing multiple millions of dollars for playing some pretty poor hockey, mainly in the AHL, and mentoring the young up-and-coming defensemen in the organization’s pipeline. He played just 4 NHL games this season, and looked kind of flat-footed; his play actually closely resembled that of Christian Folin, so make of that what you will. Alzner may very well be bought out this summer, but whether he is or isn’t, I doubt he hits the milestone of 800 career NHL games in his career (he currently sits at 686).. . . KARL ALZNER

When Brett Kulak played alongside Cale Fleury, he resembled any of the previously talked-about AHL defensemen. However, when paired with Jeff Petry, he returned to the strong level of play he displayed last season. How much of the credit for his play he truly deserves is anyone’s guess, as Jeff Petry is an excellent defenseman; but I have decided to give Kulak the benefit of the doubt. While he failed to score a goal this season – unlike the next defenseman we will cover – and he registered just 7 assists in 56 games, he was reliable defensively and managed to transition the play into the offensive zone with more ease than he did last season.. . . BRETT KULAK. B -

B -. I was lucky enough to witness Victor Mete’s (and Nick Suzuki’s) first NHL tally in person, which came in a game against the Minnesota Wild. Following that game, Mete lit the lamp on an additional 3 occasions. He added these to this 7 assists, bringing his point total up to 11 in 51 games. Mete really flourished alongside Jeff Petry (as everyone seems to do) but had his season derailed by injuries. The first one saw him miss 10 games in November and December, which resulted in his demotion to third-pairing minutes for the remainder of the season. The second, an ankle injury, ended his season. While Mete failed to regain his form or his minutes from the opening 26 games, he displayed a new sense of confidence with the puck and in the offensive zone following his first NHL goal, which he will hopefully retain next season.. . . VICTOR METE

A -. Ben Chiarot has proven to have been an excellent offseason acquisition for the Canadiens. He played most of the season on the team’s first defensive pairing alongside Shea Weber and was solid defensively and surprisingly threatening on the attack. He averaged a monstrous 23:08 of ice time per game, way up from his career average of 17:27. Topping his career highs in both goals and points, 9 and 21 respectively, Chiarot was not the player most had expected upon his arrival in Montreal. He also shared the team-lead in game-winning goals, with 3. While being given many tough defensive assignments, he also managed a CF% of 54.4; pretty good for a guy most had envisioned to be a career third-pairing player. While he would be a second-pairing player on most competitive teams, he did surprisingly well with the heavy workload of top-pairing minutes!. . . BEN CHIAROT

. . DALE WEISE. C. The Dutch Gretzky started the season in Laval, but ended the season in Montreal, playing in 23 NHL games this season. He started off his NHL pretty well, bringing a physical presence to the fourth line. However, his play was not consistently that of an NHL player, seeming rather invisible for a handful of games. He accumulated a goal and four assists in what may very well have been his final season in both Montreal and the NHL as a whole.

C+. Jordan Weal performed brilliantly after his arrival in Montreal at last season’s trade deadline, forming fans’ high expectations for the 2019-20 season. Unfortunately, after a very strong preseason performance, Weal reverted to the marginal NHL player he had been throughout his career. One big dip in his production came in the form of his faceoff win percentage, which dropped just below 50% this season after having been dependable last year. His usage on the power play, just like that of Nick Cousins, was rather perplexing, given that he would go from sitting out a handful of games to being inserted on the team’s top PP unit. While he definitely is a skilled player, he is not of the calibre fans would hope to see quarterbacking the man-advantage. Weal scored 8 goals and 15 points in the 49 games he played, which is rather average for someone playing 13:37 a night. Hopefully, he can come back stronger next season and regain that useful faceoff ability.. . . JORDAN WEAL

JOEL ARMIA. A. This may well be considered Joel Armia’s breakout season. The Pori, Finland native finally played the type of hockey that is to be expected from a former first-round pick. Armia became a much more physical presence on the ice, utilizing his imposing “gabarit” to both protect the puck and to take the puck away from the opposition. Armia laid an impressive 146 hits in his 58 games, making him the second most physical Hab this season with 2.52 hits/game. To go along with this, Armia excelled on the penalty kill with his long reach disrupting many passing lanes; he also scored three times on both the man advantage and the man disadvantage. Armia finished the season with career highs in goals and points, with 16 and 30 respectively. Let us hope that Armia becomes the consistently defensively-responsible 20-goal-scorer we fans envision him becoming.. .

BRENDAN GALLAGHER. A. The heart and soul of this hockey team was on pace for a third consecutive 30-goal season, were it not for his injury and the shortened season itself. Gally put up 22 goals and 43 points in the 59 games he played in. Along with Tatar and Danault, Gallagher was a cog in one of the league’s most dominant possession lines, sporting a Corsi For % of 61.2 whilst playing against the best players in the league. While the stats are impressive, no numbers can really embody what exactly Gallagher brings to this team, that can only be seen when watching him play. Put simply, it’s his fight. Gallagher battles for every puck like it’s overtime in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. That is something that very few players in sports demonstrate, the complete embodiment of will. Gally was Gally this season, and in my book, that warrants him an A.. .

C+. Vejdemo played his first 7 NHL games this season and recorded a single goal while playing sheltered minutes (8:01/night). While he didn’t exactly make a huge impact, he displayed the potential of becoming a fourth-line player in a season or two, sporting good possession metrics. At 24, he still has time to improve, and we may see him play with the Habs on a more regular basis in the upcoming seasons.. . . LUKAS VEJDEMO

. RYAN POEHLING. C -. Ryan Poehling did not make life any easier for himself with his brilliant 3.5 goal performance in last year’s season finale against the Leafs. The expectations for him were exponentially higher than they merited to be when considering his collegiate career. While played excellently in the preseason, a concussion dissipated the chances of him starting out the season in the NHL. He did, however, end up playing 27 games with the Habs – mainly on the left-wing, which is not a position he has often played – and recorded a solitary goal and a single assist. While this production is far from what he had hoped for, it permitted him to spend most of the season developing under the tutelage of Joel Bouchard in Laval, which is a blessing in disguise. Unfortunately, as his play for the Habs was sub-standard, and his grade will have to reflect that. I do not doubt, however, that he will bounce back next year and compete for the fourth-line centre spot with the next player we’ll look at..

. JAKE EVANS. B -. Jake Evans finally got his NHL opportunity this season, 6 years after having been drafted by Bergevin in the 7th round. He played 13 games and tallied 2 goals and an assist while winning 51.6% of the 56 faceoffs he took. He also demonstrated his penalty-killing ability, which is a useful skill to have in a player projected to play in the bottom-six. I was actually pleasantly surprised to see him use his frame in a couple of games (he’s 6’01”), as I had envisioned him as someone to avoid physical play. He is also a quicker player than I had expected, creating a few breakaways. I think he will be a solid and versatile fourth-line centre next season and he may even be able to fill the shoes of a third-liner in a few years to come..

JESPERI KOTKANIEMI. D. The sophomore slump has rarely been more clearly exemplified than it was by our beloved KK this season. Having bulked up significantly during the summer, he seemed slower and still got knocked over very easily. The impressive playmaking ability he had demonstrated as a rookie was rarely displayed in his second NHL season. Kotkaniemi recorded 6 goals and 2 assists in 36 games and was sent down to Laval, where he played 13 games and scored a single empty netter and returned to his prolific playmaking ways, assisting 12 times. Having suffered a season-ending spleen injury a couple of weeks ago, he will need to recover from that before he can work on improving his balance and agility. Whether he starts next season in the AHL or with the Habs is a complete unknown right now, and will be dictated by his performance in the preseason. Let’s see if he impresses there as he did as a rookie.. .

Nick Suzuki is a phenomenal hockey player. And he is just getting started. The Habs have been searching for a point per game, 200-foot centre for decades, and if you ask me, they have finally struck gold. Suzuki entered training camp off the back of an incredible playoff run with the Guelph Storm, and with minimal expectations placed upon him in terms of immediate NHL impact, he thrived and cracked the opening night lineup; and he played every game this season. He finished the season with 13-28-41 totals in 71 games played; this made him the rookie with the 5th most goals and the 6th most points. Throughout the season, he became increasingly involved in the special teams, becoming the focal point of the first power-play unit and growing into the role of a penalty killer. While his point production stagnated in his final 9 games, his all-around game remained strong, chipping in defensively and transitioning the play to the attack. This kid is going to be good, the high-end playmaking ability he displayed, to go along with his deceptive play style and his slingshot release all point toward him becoming this team’s top forward. The (almost) only A+ of the season is deservedly earned by the player who will be the next face of the franchise.. . . NICK SUZUKI. A+

Domi had a rather inconsistent season. At times, he was an unstoppable offensive force; and others, he was invisible. Sounds similar does it not? Domi finished the season with 17 goals and 27 assists for 44 points in 71 games; a rather large step back from his 72-point campaign a year ago. One interesting thing to note, he was always at his best when he was very much involved in the play and not staying back and waiting for it to come to him; which is the exact thing Drouin worked on during the offseason. It will be interesting to see where Domi the younger’s contract negotiations will lead this summer. He could end up with a deal anywhere between 2 and 8 years and $5 and $7 million a year. My guess, which is really not worth all that much, is that he signs an identical contract to Drouin’s in terms of cap percentage at the time of signing, which was 7.3% in 2017 for $5.5 million. If the cap ends up being in the range of $84 million next season, this would be a five year, $6.15 million deal. I am rather curious to see how wrong I’ll be.. . . MAX DOMI. B

A. Philip Danault is quite the player. While his offensive production is always criticized for not being that of a first-line centre, he quietly finished second on the team in points with 47, including a career-high 13 goals with little time on the power-play. Of course, throughout 71 games, he will not be mistaken for an offensively-dominant player, but paired with him being one of the league’s best defensive forwards, he is undoubtedly an integral part of this team. Danault also sported a 59.6 CF%, which is just stupidly good, considering just how good the opposition is when he steps on the ice. Any guesses on how many Selke votes he receives this season? On a side-note, heed to Danault’s advice and practice some social-distancing techniques in order to keep yourselves and those around you safe from the Coronavirus.. . . PHILIP DANAULT

Hudon is one case where I am taking his AHL production into account. His 1-1-2 totals through 15 NHL games would certainly not warrant him a C+, but his 27 AHL goals hugely helped Laval out and showed that, while he might need that extra split second of time that is simply not available in the NHL, he can score when not in a checking role. I think that if given the chance to play in the top-9, he may be a rather useful player for the Canadiens.. . . CHARLES HUDON. C+

B -. It was a tale of two Byrons this season, pre and post-injury. Unlike most such scenarios, pre-injury Byron was ineffective, slow – by his standards – and seemed rather lost out there; whereas post-injury Byron was a man on a mission, scoring three goals and three assists in ten games, while his season totals of 4-6-10 through 29 contests is rather unimpressive. Due to recency bias, I am giving Byron a higher grade than his stats would deem fair. Upon his return from injury, Byron also lifted Domi’s game to the dominant level it can reach. Byron’s speed gave Domi more space to operate with and allowed him to more effectively use his skillset.. . . PAUL BYRON

B+. Jonathan Drouin started off the season playing some good hockey, some really, really good hockey; so good in fact, his play prompted me to purchase my first hockey jersey in years… with number 92 on the back. He dictated the pace of the game and rushed up the ice with a decisive stride; he was quite often not only the most talented player on the ice but the best. He was exactly what Habs fans had hoped he would one day become. But this stretch of 19 games came to an abrupt end in Washington, with the combination of a huge Alex Ovechkin hit and a subsequent wrist injury. His departure was immediately followed by an 8-game losing streak. He returned on February 8th and played eight games before being sidelined one final time. He seemed to not have been fully recovered and struggled with the pace of the play. I am grading him on the optimistic – and perhaps naive – assumption that the real Drouin was the one we saw through the first 19 games and not the one from last season.. . . JONATHAN DROUIN

. ARTTURI LEHKONEN. B. Lehkonen is unfortunately not the sniper fans had envisioned following his debut season, but he is a player that excels at just about every aspect of the game apart from point-production. He can protect the puck, forecheck, backcheck, play on the penalty-kill, transition the play from defence to offence and he can apply pressure to keep the puck in the opposing zone. This makes him an excellent bottom-6 player; and if he does end up finding that scoring touch, he will become a shoo-in for top-6 minutes..

. . TOMAS TATAR. A+. Remember when I stated that Nick Suzuki was “almost the only A+ of the season”? To the surprise of very few, everyone’s favourite Tuna is the other deserving recipient of this prestigious award. Tatar – who started off the season overshadowing his production with unnecessary penalties – finished the year with 22 goals and 61 points in 68 games, leading the second-best point-producer (Danault) by 14 points. Just like Gallagher and Danault, Tatar’s CF% percentage is ridiculously good, at 61.2. For the record, this stat measures the number of shots taken by one’s team when the player in question is on the ice compared to the total number of shots taken when the player is on the ice. Tatar, Danault and Gallagher are the league’s three leaders in this specific stat among players having participated in more than 30 games; the fourth-best is Max Pacioretty. While this is definitely down to the fact that Claude Julien’s system has our top line just rifling pucks at the net, it is also telling that the line can hold off the attack of the league’s top lines in terms of shot generation. Back to Tatar, he was tied for the 32nd top scorer in the league with obscure names such as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Matthew Tkachuk, Andrei Svechnikov, Ryan O’Reilly and Travis Konecny; not half bad for a player considered to be a cap dump a year and a half ago.