Five Interesting storylines to Look for heading into the Montreal Canadiens 2021-2022 Season
The Return of Jonathan Drouin
There is no doubt that last season was difficult for the Canadiens hometown left winger – Jonathan Drouin. It’s unfair to speculate why he may have left the team as abruptly as he did, and it’s an answer that fans may never receive.
However, what’s most important is that he seems to be doing okay. Drouin was found training in Brossard earlier this month after it was confirmed by the team’s general manager, Marc Bergevin, that the 26-year old forward would be good to go come training camp.
“We met with Jo, and Jo feels great. He’s focused and he’s ready to go.”
Although Drouin’s decision to leave the team in April of this past season could have nothing to do with hockey, there’s no denying that he has struggled with the Canadiens since being acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning back in June of 2017.
When the trade happened four years ago, the former third overall pick was supposed to be the next great goal scorer that the Canadiens had been running short of. The problem is that Drouin has yet to score 20 goals in a Canadiens uniform. Most notably, he only had two goals in 44 games this past season before leaving the team in late April.
Luckily enough, he has all the talent in the world, and it would be hard to deny that he doesn’t have the skill to turn his play around. Especially considering that Drouin has recently become more of a playmaker. After notching six assists in ten games at last summer’s bubble, he could find a spot in the lineup dishing the Canadiens new favorite snipers in Cole Caufield and Mike Hoffmann.
Aside from the idea of Drouin becoming everything the Canadiens asked the Lightning for this season, he is sure to receive quite the ovation when he steps on the ice against the Rangers at the team’s home opener on October 16th.
After everything he has gone through, it will easy to cheer him on regardless of how he performs when he finally dons the Canadiens jersey once again.
New Faces, Same Places
There is nothing more exciting than watching your teams new offseason additions play in their new threads on opening nights. In Montreal’s case, this season will see newcomers Mike Hoffman and David Savard make their debuts for the ‘bleu, blanc, et rouge’.
Replacing Tomas Tatar and Shea Weber, the pair will have big shoes to fill both on and off the ice. It will be interesting to see how they fit into a team that surely will miss both of these players; especially their captain Shea Weber – who along with Carey Price, was one of the undeniable leaders of the team.
Savard, a native of Quebec, plays a similar style to Weber – a presence in his own zone, both at even strength and on the penalty kill. Savard isn’t afraid to be physical or block shots, something that Weber became well known for around Montreal.
In Savard, the Canadiens are getting a similar player to Weber at a reduced cost; and although he may not be in the same echelon as Weber, he plays a similar style and can bring a cup-winning attitude to the locker room next season.
Hoffman on the other hand is a little bit different from Tatar – the player who he is expected to replace on the wing for the Canadiens. The two are both offense-first forwards, but where Tatar was a greater playmaker, Hoffman is a better goal-scorer.
For 800,000 dollars cheaper than Tatar’s previous contract with Montreal, Hoffman will bring a scoring touch to the team, particularly on the powerplay, where he has ranked fifth in the NHL in man-advantage goals since 2015.
Over that same span, the Canadiens have ranked 25th of 30 (Excluding the Golden Knights) in team powerplay goals, so it’s safe to say that Hoffman should be an integral part of the team’s offence moving forward.
It will be interesting to see if the ‘new guys’ can not only make up for where the Canadiens lost in the offseason but provide some extra flare that the team will be looking for as they look to battle through another big season – especially when those ‘new guys’ have as much experience, skill, and grit, as these two do.
Heading back to the Atlantic
The NHL’s Atlantic division is widely regarded as the toughest division in the league these days. Boasting the likes of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and Boston Bruins; the Canadiens feel like a little fish in a massive sea.
The Canadiens lack of ‘superstar’ talent outside of goaltender Carey Price, makes it seem like a tall task for the recent runner-ups of the Stanley Cup. In the other four ‘powerhouse’ team’s case, they boast rosters that include players such as Nikita Kucherov, Brad Marchand, Auston Matthews, and Aleksander Barkov – just to name a few.
In stark contrast, the Canadiens rely on their depth to power what sometimes isn’t always the ‘prettiest’ team on paper. Nonetheless, the Canadiens showed a will to win in last seasons playoffs that, aside from the Tampa series, made it look like having the ‘faces of the league’ wasn’t all it’s made out to be.
At the end of the day, that’s what playoff hockey is sometimes all about. Unfortunately for the Canadiens though, it’s going to take 82 games to get to the playoffs first, and in the regular season, it typically is the team’s with the most star power that tend to dominate.
Without a doubt, the Canadiens have what it takes to win a playoff series or two. After all, they have heart, and in a matchup of seven games, it’s often enough to turn the tides. However, whether or not the Canadiens can score enough goals and make enough saves for seven months against the league’s best players will be intriguing.
It should provide excitement for fans nationwide, as the Canadiens attempt to show the world they are every bit a part of the Atlantic school – swimming right next to the others in their pursuit of an ever-so-coveted playoff berth.
A Packed Bell Centre
Arguably the most exciting storyline for Canadiens fans to look forward to this upcoming season, is the possible return of 21,273 rapturous fans to the team’s home arena – the Bell Centre. For as amazing as last season was, Canadiens fans were missed mightily – especially as the team reached their first Stanley Cup Finals since 1993.
With vaccination rates rising across Canada and Quebec alike, the Canadiens may expect to eventually announce full capacity at the team’s home games this season – even if that doesn’t mean against the New York Rangers in their home opener on October 16th, it’s entirely possible that we could see a packed Bell Centre at some point between now and the end of the season.
When that day comes, the arena should be more electric than it’s ever been, as fans finally get to continue cheering on a team that has given them lots to root for these days. There truly is no better atmosphere in hockey, than that of the Bell Centre, and it’s a force to be reckoned with when opposing teams step on the ice for every game – big or small.
As the Canadiens work to continue passing the torch to their younger generation of players, integrate both familiar and new faces into their lineup, and fight their way through the mighty Atlantic Division, they will need all the help they can get.
There is no doubt that the Bell Centre will be sure to provide enough energy to cover all of that and more when it’s finally called back to its regular duties once again.
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