Montreal Canadiens: Three Players To Watch vs Toronto Maple Leafs
The Montreal Canadiens return to action tonight! It is just an exhibition game, but these three players have to show something.
The Montreal Canadiens have not played a game in ….carry the one…. how many days are in April?…… their last one was on March 10 so…. 140 days. That is about as long as a regular offseason for a team that doesn’t make the playoffs. It has been a while.
Tonight’s game is just an exhibition game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, it is the team’s only exhibition game before they start their Best-of-5 play-in series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Habs first exhibition game is normally the first of about eight or nine and would feature about ten players who have no chance of making the team.
Tonight’s game will be different. With just one game to get ready for a postseason series, tonight’s lineup will be very close to the one that takes the ice on Saturday to play the Penguins. Teams are allowed to use an extra forward and an extra defenceman tonight, so there will be 20 skaters instead of 18, but it will feature all of the team’s best players.
Usually in exhibition games, veteran players are just going through the motions, trying not to get hurt and working toward feeling like they are ready to play an actual game soon. There is often a handful of young players trying to stand out and get the team’s attention in an effort to make the team.
The Habs won’t have any long shot hopefuls in the lineup tonight, but there will be a handful of players who have to prove something. While much of the roster is set for the series against Pittsburgh, there is still some prominent ice time up for grabs.
It’s pretty obvious that Phillip Danault is not going to lose his spot between Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher, and a bad pass from Shea Weber isn’t going to lead to him being benched against the Penguins.
However, these three players are going to have to step up tonight and prove they belong in the lineup when the games start for real.
3. Brett Kulak
Brett Kulak has been an interesting player ever since the Habs acquired him from the Calgary Flames. After passing through waivers, Kulak landed in Montreal on the eve of the 2018-19 season in a swap that saw Matt Taormina and Rinat Valiev go the other way.
Kulak has been good for the Habs over the past two seasons. He has shown some real chemistry with Jeff Petry as the two put up incredible possession numbers when on the ice together. Kulak is okay when he plays on the top pairing with Shea Weber, he’s fine when playing on the third pairing with Cale Fleury or Victor Mete, but he is terrific when playing on the second pair with Petry.
Kulak and Petry played 543 minutes together this season and has a Corsi over 60%. That means while the pair are on the ice, the Habs fire three shots toward the opposition goaltender while allowing two. It doesn’t sound like a huge difference on that small scale, but when it becomes 600 shots attempted to 400 shot attempts allowed, (which is exactly what happened this year) it gives the Canadiens a significant advantage.
It makes sense to pair Kulak with Petry against the Penguins, but Kulak is a step behind his teammates at the moment. That’s because he tested positive for Covid-19 and didn’t join the team fully in practice until Thursday, July 23. It was about ten days after the team had started training camp and put Kulak a step behind the pack.
It will be interesting to watch Kulak tonight and see if he is ready to play a top four role. There is no time to wait and see if someone can get their timing back during the series. If Kulak looks a little lost tonight, chances are he won’t be playing his best hockey in a few days when the play-in series begins. It will be interesting to keep an eye on him and see if he and Petry can pick up where they left off.
2. Cale Fleury
Cale Fleury played the 2018-19 season with the Laval Rocket and was solid, but not spectacular. He wasn’t expected to make the Canadiens lineup this season out of training camp, but he was so good during the exhibition schedule in September that he was on the ice in their first game of the regular season.
Can he do it again?
The Habs defence pairings at their latest practice had Ben Chiarot with Shea Weber and Kulak with Petry. That is expected to be the top four, unless Kulak falters as we mentioned previously. Victor Mete is extremely likely to grab the fifth spot and play on the third pairing. The young, quick, undersized defender could use a solid, reliable partner on that third pairing.
Yesterday, Mete skated with Xavier Ouellet, who played 12 games with the Canadiens this season. The 26 year old left-shot defender was a mainstay on the Rocket blue line and served as the AHL team’s captain this season. He seems to have the inside track on the final spot on the Habs blue line, but there are no guarantees just yet.
Also battling with Ouellet for a spot in the lineup in Game 1 against the Pens are Christian Folin, Gustav Olofsson, Noah Juulsen and Fleury.
Fleury played 41 games of physical, defensive hockey for the Canadiens to begin this season. He was eventually sent down to the Rocket where he played an additional 14 contests. The 21 year old is a smart, reliable defensive player who could be a great partner for Mete on the third pairing.
If he is going to get that role, he is going to have to play well against a fast and skilled Maple Leafs team tonight. He did it in September, and it will be fun to watch him tonight to see if he can win over the coaching staff yet again.
1. Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Jesperi Kotkaniemi impressed the Canadiens in his first training camp and put together a solid rookie season in 2018-19. He had 11 goals and 34 points in 79 games and scored those points from a third and sometimes fourth line role with little power play time to boost the offensive output.
His sophomore season was not a good follow up to a solid first showing. Kotkaniemi struggled to put up points at the NHL level and finished the Habs regular season playing 36 games and scoring just eight points. It was a big step back for the young Finnish centre.
Kotkaniemi was sent down to the AHL level where he quickly found his offensive confidence. He scored 13 points in 13 games with the Rocket before suffering a spleen injury. It was thought that would end his season, but with the postseason beginning in August, Kotkaniemi was able to rehab and return to the lineup.
He has been placed on a third line with Paul Byron and Artturi Lehkonen. This is a pretty safe spot for the young centre, but also gives his ample opportunity to showcase his offensive skills. While those two wingers are two of the best defensive forwards on the team, Byron is one of the fastest skaters in the league and has proven to be a 20 goal scorer. Lehkonen has shown flashes of offensive prowess but hasn’t been able to reach his rookie total of 17 goals.
Kotkaniemi is going to have to be good to keep this spot in the lineup. Max Domi came to camp a week late after taking precautions due to the global pandemic. He has been placed between Dale Weise and Jordan Weal on the team’s fourth line, but has the skills to move up the lineup. If Domi does get pushed up the lineup, it would likely be at Kotkaniemi’s expense.
Again, with things ramping up quickly, there isn’t much time for patience. If Kotkaniemi struggles tonight, I’d expect him to be bumped down immediately for Domi. He could even be scratched for Jake Evans who can handle a fourth line centre role right now.
It might just be an exhibition game, but for Kotkaniemi, Fleury and Kulak it is a chance to show they belong in the lineup when the rubber hits the road against the Pens.