Canadiens: Jordan Weal and the Bottom Six Anomaly

Jordan Weal’s season was interesting, to say the least. Having found a role on the Montreal Canadiens bottom six, he has more potential than most might think.

In my opinion, Jordan Weal has been one of the more polarizing players for the Montreal Canadiens this year.

At 28 years old, he’s finally established himself as a legitimate NHL forward after spending the first half of his career entirely in the minors. A 3rd round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2010, Weal was part of a Calder Cup champion Manchester Monarchs team in 2014-15, recording 69 points in 73 games in the regular season and 22 points in 19 playoff games.

Despite showing the Kings his offensive potential, he only played 10 games for the team, being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2016, sending Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn to the Kings.

Since then, Weal has travelled around the NHL, playing for the Flyers, Arizona Coyotes and Montreal Canadiens over the course of 2018-19. After being acquired by the Coyotes in January of 2019, Weal recorded just 2 points in 19 games before getting dealt to Montreal at the trade deadline.

It was here where he once again showcased his offensive potential, recording 10 points in 16 games as the Canadiens barely fell short of the 8th and final playoff seed in the eastern conference. After earning a 1-year contract extension, Weal has seen infrequent minutes as a bottom-six option.

In what has mainly been a lost season for the Canadiens (even if they play in this proposed 24-team playoff format), Weal has been a high and low point at different times. With 15 points in 49 games this year, he would’ve been on pace for 25 points over 82 games, slightly above his career-high of 21 in 2017-18. For the most part, Weal found himself playing alongside players like Nate Thompson and Nick Cousins, the latter of which had a very similar year to Weal.

More from Editorials

• Montreal Canadiens: Senators Rebuild At Crisis Point As Kent Hughes Moves Forward
• Montreal Canadiens: Jonathan Drouin Continues Charity Work In Montreal After Leaving Habs
• Montreal Canadiens: Laval Rocket Lineup Going To Be Must Watch
• Montreal Canadiens: Jesse Ylönen Contract Extension Analysis
• Montreal Canadiens: Top 31 Prospects – #31 Quentin Miller

For the majority of this season, the Canadiens bottom six was very much plagued by the same inconsistencies as last season’s, where offensive checkers like Matthew Peca and Charles Hudon struggled mightily in both the offensive and defensive aspects of their game.

While Weal and Cousins had their moments, they found themselves at times as a detractor rather than a benefactor, though this isn’t entirely their fault. While Weal demonstrated his powerplay abilities last season for the Habs, showing solid passing skills and nose for the net, it’s been a different story this year.

The Canadiens powerplay has already had its fair share of issues this year, mainly due to a lack of chemistry and true powerplay ability from most of their players. Because of this, head coach Claude Julien frequently slotted players like Cousins and Weal on the powerplay, capitalizing on the hot and cold streaks they went on for parts of this season. 5 of Weal’s 15 points this season came with the man advantage, a similar pace to last year, but the Canadiens powerplay still suffered with a 17.7% percent efficiency rating.

Throughout the past seasons, it’s been obvious that Weal has yet to find a consistent role in the NHL. While he’s proven himself as a talented NHL forward and primary bottom-six option, he’s also shown the potential for bigger things, like his post-trade deadline performance with the Habs last year. While this could be attributed to the trade deadline boost, many players have experienced over the years, like Devante Smith Pelly in New Jersey, etc. I think Weal’s issues have more to do with him simply adapting to the NHL game.

The jump in skill levels between the AHL and NHL is more significant than most people think, and because of this, some of the AHL’s best players have already seen their NHL chances come and go. Former league-leading scorer in 2017-18 and Canadiens farmhand Chris Terry played 14 games with the Canadiens in 2016-17, which is likely the last NHL games he’ll see.

Former Habs bottom-six option and AHL MVP Kenny Agostino has spent the entirety of this season in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, despite establishing career highs with the Canadiens and New Jersey Devils last year. While it might seem as though Weal has broken past this stage and has become a solid NHL player, the occasional flashes on the powerplay and in odd-man rushes suggest there is more to his game than meets the eye.

At 28 years old, is there a chance he’ll be able to reach this point? Depends. While Weal has shown his worth in the Canadiens bottom six, giving him a chance with more talented players in a ‘what do we have to lose?’ ideal in this proposed playoff format could bring some dividends, and showcase Weal’s abilities beyond being a solid checking forward.

There’s a reason he was an AHL playoff MVP in 2014-15. He’s a talented player, who’s skills have yet to fully integrate into the NHL, in a similar way to that of Matthew Peca. I feel it’s because of this why Weal has been so polarizing, and all the more why I feel he’s an interesting part of the Canadiens lineup.

The chances of this 24-team playoff format working out are slim, but should it happen, look for Jordan Weal to potentially play a more prominent role, for the Montreal Canadiens.