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3 Reasons Why the Montreal Canadiens Will Make the Playoffs This Year

By Joseph Gentile

Aug 16, 2020; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Montreal Canadiens interim head coach Kirk Muller during the third period of game three of the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Philadelphia Flyers at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 16, 2020; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Montreal Canadiens interim head coach Kirk Muller during the third period of game three of the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Philadelphia Flyers at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Montreal Canadiens, Alexander Romanov
VANCOUVER, BC – DECEMBER 27: Alexander Romanov #26 of Russia celebrates after scoring a goal against Denmark in Group A hockey action of the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship action (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /

Reason #2: Added depth on defence

Last season, the Montreal Canadiens finished 24th in the overall NHL standings with a -9 differential, middling out in the Atlantic with 221 goals allowed in 71 games.

The Montreal Canadiens were just simply not taking the opportunity to grab wins where they should have, and their defenders were not doing them any favors on the backend. They were blowing leads like it was their job, who else can remember that one game against the Rangers where the Montreal Canadiens led 4-0 early on and lost 6-5 in regulation?

In 2018, the Montreal Canadiens selected Russian defenseman Alexander Romanov with the 38th overall pick. The pick had come at a time where the Montreal Canadiens were reeling in their defensive depth and needed a strong, defensive, and efficient left-handed defenseman. Romanov began his young career with CSKA Moscow in the KHL where he was playing against men significantly older than him. Romanov managed to hold his own, putting up impressive +/- differentials (+16, +21) respectively as a teenager.

He gained international recognition during the 2019 World Junior Hockey Tournament where he posted high offensive numbers (8 PTS, 7 GP), winning the bronze medal and the award for the tournament’s best defenseman. Not to mention, we saw him throw the body a lot too. Bergevin got him under contract for this season hoping that Romanov could carry over his explosive, hard-hitting game to North America. He should be a big boost to the team’s current defensive core which already includes one of the league’s best in Shea Weber.

One thing that Marc Bergevin has had a difficult time with has been finding a good partner for Jeff Petry. He tried with the signing of Karl Alzner during the 2017 offseason, which ended with him being sent to Laval and ultimately being bought out. In 2019, the task was for Claude Julien to basically work within his means with a very thing list of left shot defensmen. Last season, Bergevin signed Ben Chiarot who turned out to be a better fit beside Weber rather than Petry. Brett Kulak ended up slotting beside Petry for most of the season.

The combination of playing top minutes, the lack of a better partner and the general nature of Petry’s play style, it is no wonder his +/- has been terribly low since the 2018 season (-30, -5, -10 each year respectively). This offseason, Bergevin made a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes for defenseman Joel Edmundson and signed him to a four-year extension.

This seems like a similar move he made with the signing of Ben Chiarot last year. Edmundson brings a big body presence and a very defensive minded game, which should compliment Petry well. He also comes with a Stanley Cup champion sticker on his chest and the experience of playing with some of the league’s best defenseman in Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko.

With these two additions, the Montreal Canadiens’ defensive core suddenly looks bigger and scarier than years past. Teams will need to look over their shoulder while entering the offensive zone when matching up against big bodies like; Weber, Romanov, Edmundson, Chiarot, and Petry. The stronger backend presence will certainly help guard the net better (and hopefully be able to hold leads) and give a lesser workload to goaltenders Price and Allen.

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