The Montreal Canadiens will be in trouble if they rely on Shea Weber’s shot

Being predictable, especially against a veteran team like the Pittsburgh Penguins, is useless. They have some of the best defensive players in the league with a top-ten penalty kill to match. Mixing it up is the only way here, and working off the powerplay chemistry between Suzuki and Tatar is a good start.

Another thing the Habs could do revolves around Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The newly turned 20-year-old has been receiving nothing but praise about the work he’s done since returning to Finland. If the coaching staff wanted to add another shooter to the man-advantage and have the unit work through Suzuki, putting in Kotkaniemi for Drouin could be something to explore.

Drouin fell victim to the ‘Look for Shea Weber’ complex once or twice this season. He’s not a shooter predominantly, so when he gets the puck, penalty killers know he won’t be a threat and will instead look for a pass. From where he would be placed (based on John Lu’s tweet), that’s likely to set up Weber for the one-timer.

If Kotkaniemi continues to improve, it would be interesting to see the Habs give him a chance at that position. He’s predominantly a right-circle player on the man-advantage, but with the work he’s done on his shot, it could provide the team with four legitimate scoring threats. That’s what you want out of a powerplay, you want it to be filled with players who have the potential to seriously do something with it.

Imagine a scenario where the Habs are cycling the puck, it gets to Weber and the penalty killers, as well as the goaltender, expect a blast from the point. Instead, Weber sends it to Kotkaniemi, who shoots or sends it to Suzuki, who bumps it to Tatar for a chance. That constant motion and second-guessing are where the Habs need to be.

Whether this plays out or not, it looks as if the Montreal Canadiens are aware of their mistakes and tendencies of relying on Shea Weber’s shot. We’ll have to see what happens during that exhibition game with the Toronto Maple Leafs.