The Montreal Canadiens have had quite the eventful year so far. Starting the season off with a hot 7-1-2 in the first 10 games, the Canadiens have seen themselves fall to 4th place in the North division and have lost their last 3, including back to back losses to the last place Sens which would lead to the firing of head coach Claude Julien and assistant coach Kirk Muller earlier this week. You could say there is over a handful of players not meeting their expectations this year causing the Habs to slide down the standings.
Jonathan Drouin
Drouin has struggled to find the net this year positing only 2 goals in 18 games. The 25-year old hasn’t met the expectations in his 4th season with the Habs. At 5.5 million a year, Drouin just hasn’t brought the offensive upside everyone thought we would see when he first came to the Canadiens. The former 3rd overall pick has posted 24 shots in 18 games this year and maybe they just gotta get Drouin shooting pucks on net a little more often to find success. A player with great skating and passing ability just may need to find a little more confidence in his game.
Paul Byron
After clearing waivers and being assigned to the taxi squad, Byron has found himself back in the lineup this week. Byron has put up a lone single goal and 3 helpers in 17 games this season. The speedy forward has been held off the scoresheet consistently this year and has had little impact offensively with this team. His shooting percentage is a dreadful 7.7% this season, the worst of his entire NHL career.
Philip Danault
Danault is the only forward to have not found the back of the net this year, only posting 8 assists in 18 games. The 28-year old centerman is well known for his great 2-way game is in his last season of his current contract and will become a free agent this offseason if not signed. It’s not a great season for Danault who I’m sure was hoping to get a raise from his 3 year/9.25 million contract previously.
These Canadiens forwards are going to need more of an impact for this team to have any consistent success throughout this season. The good news is the Habs just got past the first quarter of the shortened season so there’s plenty of time to win back some of those difficult losses.
The Habs will look to get back on track with back to back games in Winnipeg on Thursday and Saturday. Assistant coach Dominique Ducharme will take over as interim head coach and former NHLer Alex Burrows has also been added to the coaching staff aswell as an assistant.