Former Montreal Canadiens to Follow in the Playoffs

EDMONTON, AB - APRIL 09: Artturi Lehkonen #62 of the Colorado Avalanche skates against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period at Rogers Place on April 9, 2022 in Edmonton, Canada. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, AB - APRIL 09: Artturi Lehkonen #62 of the Colorado Avalanche skates against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period at Rogers Place on April 9, 2022 in Edmonton, Canada. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)
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The regular season is over and the playoffs have begun. Unfortunately, the Montreal Canadiens will not be taking part in the tourney this year.

That’s not a new development. By American Thanksgiving the Canadiens were firmly out of the playoff picture. And while there was a great turnaround with the addition of new head coach Martin St. Louis, it wasn’t enough to bring the team out of last place in the league.

Which, I mean, if you are going to fail, you may as well fail hard. And it helps a lot that the Montreal Canadiens now have the greatest chances of winning the draft lottery, just over 18%. And while there is discussion over whether the Canadiens should pick Shane Wright, or Logan Cooley, or Simon Nemec.

But that doesn’t mean that us Montreal Canadiens fans shouldn’t still tune into the playoffs. There is still a ton of the greatest hockey in the world to be played, and the NHL playoffs are just a full head of quality above the already great regular season.

It would be a shame to miss out on so much great hockey simply because our team isn’t there.

But which team to follow? We all have our biases for and against other teams. Like I myself have always felt a soft spot for the Colorado Avalanche, as they were the best team in the league when I first started watching hockey all those years ago. Or that I do not like the Vegas Golden Knights for obvious reasons.

But as fans of a team, we spend a surprising amount of time with the players of said team. Watching them for 82 games, 60 minutes each. Not to mention all the interviews, fan interaction events and social media posts that we have access to in this modern age.

Its my opinion that its impossible to follow a team without being a little emotionally attached to the players. And its a good thing that there are plenty of former Montreal Canadiens left in the playoffs that we can follow and cheer on. If only for memories.

But what team to follow? There are 16 teams in the playoffs, each with over 30 players on their NHL roster. That’s a lot of players to go through. Well, that’s where this article comes in. Together we will dive into every playoff team and see which former Canadiens reside there. And then we can decide who to follow independently this post-season.

The Atlantic Division

We will start close to home, in the Montreal Canadiens own division. There might not be too many overlapping players, since teams tend to avoid trading to divisional rivals, and the Atlantic also holds bitter rivals Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins.

But every team has made a deal with every other team (minus the Seattle Kraken, naturally), and free agency exists. I probably won’t sway anyone to the Bruins’ or Leafs’ side, but maybe we can look on the bright side if one of those teams win the Stanley Cup. God help us all if that happens.

Florida Panthers

Let’s start with the President’s Trophy winners. The best Panthers team to ever exist will be hungry for playoff success, something rarely found in the much maligned franchise. Especially after last year, where a very good Panthers team got bounced out in the first round by eventual Stanley Cup champions Tampa Bay Lightning.

Ben Chiarot

Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports /

This one’s easy, since Ben Chiarot is one of the most recently moved Canadien. He was traded just before the trade deadline this year for quite the haul. A first round pick, a fourth round pick, and prospect Ty Smilanic.

It was tough to see Chiarot go, but it was necessary. Chiarot was having a career year in Montreal this year, and essentially played his way out of town, but in the good way. And the haul was just too good to pass up.

Ben Chiarot wasn’t the longest tenured Canadien, in fact, he is one of the last Atlanta Thrashers draft picks to play in the league. When Atlanta moved north to Winnipeg, Chiarot followed and made his NHL debut with the Jets.

Over 5 seasons with the Jets, Chiarot made his name as a stay-at-home defenseman. A big, physical, unimpressively offensive defender. A.K.A Marc Bergevin’s dream in a defender.

When entering free agency, Chairot was quickly snapped up by Bergevin and the Canadiens. And he proved them right for signing him by producing better than he ever had in Winnipeg.

Together with Shea Weber, Chiarot formed one of the most physically domineering defensive pairs in the entire league. Especially during the playoffs, where the rules are slackened and defenders can get away with a lot more.

Chiarot especially gained notoriety these past two playoffs, forming ‘The Trident’ and ‘The Clydesdales’ as the strong physical backbone to Montreal’s postseason success. Something the Florida Panthers hope he will bring to their high-octane offensive team this year.

Chiarot is having the best season of his career offensively, with 9 goals and 26 points.

Why To Follow Them

And that is it for former Montreal Canadiens on the Florida Panthers. However, if you want to back a winning horse, there aren’t many teams better than the Panthers. And facing a Washington Capitals team that has struggled in the playoffs as of late, its a good bet that the Panthers will go far.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Is this the year that the Toronto Maple Leafs finally make it out of the first round of the playoffs? Against the reigning Stanley Cup Champions Tampa Bay Lightning, it will be tough, but not impossible.

Michael Bunting

Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

That’s right! A Montreal Canadien might still win the Calder Trophy! Okay, former Montreal Canadien might be a stretch. He never played a game in Montreal, and wasn’t even picked by the Canadiens, but he is technically a Montreal Canadiens draft pick.

Just before the 2014 NHL draft, the Montreal Canadiens struck a deal with the Arizona Coyotes to move up in the draft. The Canadiens traded their 3rd round pick, 87th overall, and their 4th round pick, 117th overall to acquire the Coyotes’ 3rd round pick, 73rd overall.

The Canadiens ended up selecting Brett Lernout. Lernout has played just 21 games in the NHL, all with the Habs, and has since bounced around the AHL. Arizona’s third round pick was Anton Karlsson, a player who never made it over to North America and is playing in Austria right now.

However, that fourth round pick was Michael Bunting. Bunting never found his footing in Arizona, playing more often with the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL, but has since signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and scored 23 goals and 63 points in 79 games.

It definitely does help that he gets ice time with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, but he remains the favorite for the Calder, despite cooling off his production late in the year.

Why To Follow Them

It may seem sacrilegious, but if the Toronto Maple Leafs win their series against the Lightning, it might be one of the most cathartic series wins of all time. And if they don’t win it will be undeniably the lowest of lows. Follow Toronto and there’s no in-between.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The two-time reigning champs are back at it again, and they have a serious chance of going the distance once again. Any team with Andrei Vasilevskiy, Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman will have a strong chance at the Cup. And that’s just the big names. Tampa radically overhauled their bottom 6, and haven’t missed a beat. They will look to come out strong against a possibly fragile Toronto Maple Leafs team.

Corey Perry

Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

This one stings. Especially considering that the team was just a few months and a management change away from probably resigning Corey Perry.

You love him on your team, you hate him on everyone else’s. That’s been Perry’s modus operandi for his long and prosperous career in the NHL. Tenacious physically, but with a deft scoring touch with the puck on his stick, Perry often toed the line between clean and dirty, and has been known to cross right over it on occasion.

But with age comes wisdom, at least in some part. Perry was still his pest-like self in Montreal, but never got into much trouble with the league. He more brought a Stanley Cup winning pedigree and 15 years of NHL experience to a young team.

In fact, it was said that Perry and Eric Staal were the ones that lead the Canadiens in the locker room to that amazing 3-1 comeback series win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was part of the massive loss of leadership in the past offseason (along with Staal, Price and Weber), and if he had stayed with the team as he wished, I would not be surprised if he was wearing a letter this year.

And this year, Perry proved that he still has plenty left in the tank. Perry has always been hardy, but at 36 years old, Corey Perry played all 82 games of the season, while scoring 19 goals and 40 points. All while coming off a long postseason drive, a short offseason, and gearing up for another long playoff run this year.

Mikhail Sergachev

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

It is impossible to talk about Mikhail Sergachev without discussing Jonathan Drouin. Ever since that day, June 15th, 2017, where the two were traded along with a pair of conditional picks for each other.

Its pretty easy to see that the Tampa Bay Lightning came out on top with this one, no matter how optimistic you are on Jonathan Drouin, which admittedly, I guess I am, considering the reactions to this article.

Sergachev has been a stalwart feature on the back end of the elite Tampa Bay defense. He has often found himself on the second or third pairing, not because of his play, just because the Tampa Bay defense is just that good.

Even on the third pairing, Sergachev has put up between 30-40 points, and has played on the powerplay. Sounds nice, compared to Montreal’s defensive first back end, but that is all in the past now.

Ryan McDonagh

Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports /

Okay, I will keep this brief. There seemed to be a time where not many people knew that Ryan McDonagh was once a Montreal Canadiens draft pick; but now the deal is seen as one of the worst in recent memory, and for good reason.

In 2009, Montreal traded McDonagh, Doug Janik, Chris Higgins and Pavel Valentenko for Scott Gomez, Michael Busto and Tom Pyatt.

All things considered, without the trade I mean, Montreal had one of the best drafts ever in 2007. They drafted McDonagh and Pacioretty in the first round, and then P.K. Subban in the second round.

McDonagh became a defensive force in New York, and became the Rangers’ captain in 2014. He never put up impressive offensive numbers, but that wasn’t his job. He scored an outlying 14 goals in 2013-14, and has topped 40 points 3 times. But every year in the NHL, McDonagh has finished with a positive +/-, a testament to his stout defensive play.

Now as a member of the Lightning, McDonagh has started to slow, but still provides good defense on the bottom 6 of a stacked Lightning team.

Why To Follow Them

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a proven winner, and possibly have one foot in the second round already for facing Toronto in the first round. If Tampa wins another Cup, they will be right up there with some of the best dynasties in history, considering this is the salary cap era. Follow Tampa for the pedigree.

Boston Bruins

It is kind of crazy how long the Boston Bruins have been good. Ever since winning the Stanley Cup in 2011, the Bs have always seemed to be in the conversation for a deep playoff run. That’s over 10 years ago. This seems like it might be the last hurrah for Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and the team as a whole, as age has to catch up to them eventually (right?).

Mike Reilly

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Mike Reilly had an almost blink-and-you’ll-miss-it career in Montreal. He was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2011, but played his first game as a free agent with the Minnesota Wild. The Wild then sent him to Montreal for a fifth round pick (Matvey Guskov) in 2018. Montreal traded him to Ottawa in 2020 for Andy Sturtz and a fifth round pick, so that’s at least an improvement. And then Ottawa got a 3rd round pick from Boston for him.

Reilly was always a fringe player in almost all of his NHL career. The most games he played in a season in Montreal was 57 in 2018-19, and while he occasionally showed flashes of offensive flair, but never enough to stay on the roster full time.

But he seems to have found his niche in Boston this year. He played 70 games, scored 4 goals and 17 points. That is the most goals he has scored in a year, and just 2 points less than his highest point total. He is signed for $3 million for 2 more years which is pricey for what he is, but it is great that he has a found himself a full time NHL position.

Why To Follow Them

And that is also it for the Boston Bruins. Again, bitter rivals don’t trade with each other very often, so there aren’t many overlaps here. Follow the Bruins for a big underdog story against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round.

Carolina Hurricanes

The most recent bitter rivals of the Montreal Canadiens, and one of the most interesting teams to follow in the NHL on and off the ice. There was the whole offer sheet fiasco, the Storm Surges at the end of the games, the missing preseason games, and, of course, the terrific team they put on the ice.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /

Poor Jesperi Kotkaniemi. There just seemed to be a perfect storm around the young centre’s career that really affected his time in Montreal.

First of all, he was a third overall pick, which was a bit higher than was projected, but he filled the centre role that the Montreal Canadiens desperately needed. Most people thought he needed a year off to condition in the minor leagues, but made the team in his draft year.

He had a decent first year, but played poorly in the second year, and struggled to stay in the NHL. Then he played well enough in the playoffs, but got caught in the crossfire between the Canadiens and Hurricanes war of offer sheets, and signed with Carolina.

In Carolina, Kotkaniemi can play a more sheltered role, and develop more naturally than he ever could in Montreal at this time. And he just signed a big 8-year, $4.82 million contract this year. It will be interesting to see what Kotkaniemi does in the playoffs, as he did play well in the postseason last year.

Max Domi

Mandatory Credit: Thomas Salus-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Thomas Salus-USA TODAY Sports /

Speaking of players where it will be interesting to see how they play in the playoffs: former Montreal Canadiens forward Max Domi.

Domi is an interesting case, and the further removed we are from 2018-19, the more it seems like a fluke. He had a great rookie season, but struggled to score in Arizona, before being traded for Alex Galchenyuk. And then he exploded for 28 goals and 72 points as the Canadiens surprised and just missed the playoffs.

But Domi struggled again after that, including an abysmal playoff bubble performance in 2020, but to be fair, he was placed on the fourth line and not utilized the best.

That offseason Domi was traded for Josh Anderson, and continued to struggle with production. His stock had plummeted in Columbus so badly that he was traded to Carolina with a 6th round pick for a former 5th round pick named Tyler Inamoto. And Domi’s numbers have remained low in Carolina.

In Montreal, Domi was the heart and soul of the team in 2018-19, in an emotional year where the underdog Canadiens missed out on the playoffs by just a win, and were a ton of fun to watch.

Why To Follow Them

Its ironic that two of the most fun players for the Montreal Canadiens in recent years have ended up on a very fun team to watch. If it was only for one year, Domi and Kotkaniemi were beloved players, and it would be nice to see them go far.

New York Rangers

Jarred Tinordi

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

All the way back in 2010, the Montreal Canadiens drafted Jarred Tinordi in the first round, after trading up to get him, sending a first (Mark Visentin) and a second (Oscar Lindberg) for Tinordi’s first and a fourth (Mark MacMillan). Lindberg is the biggest name of the trade, playing 252 games and scoring 39 goals in NHL, and is now playing in the KHL.

Tinordi played 46 games with the Montreal Canadiens, while bouncing between the Habs and the Hamilton Bulldogs and St. John’s Ice Caps. He never scored a goal and struggled to find his footing defensively.

Tinordi was also part of the strange trade that saw the Montreal Canadiens acquiring John Scott, in a desperate bid to keep him from playing in the All-Star game, as the 33 year old bruiser was voted in by fans as a joke.

Tinordi then bounced around between Arizona, Pittsburgh, Nashville, and Boston before signing with the Rangers this year. He scored his first NHL goal in 2019-20 in Nashville, and scored 1 goal in the 7 games he has played in New York.

Keith Kinkaid

Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

Keith Kinkaid was one of the many casualties of the Montreal Canadiens search for a back-up goalie, and Kinkaid fell the hardest.

He was a solid back-up with the New Jersey Devils from 2014 to 2019. However, in Montreal, Kinkaid greatly struggled. In 6 games, Kinkaid had a 4.24 Goals Against Average and a .875 save percentage. Which is far and away the worst numbers he had ever put up.

So then he was dropped back into the AHL with the Laval Rocket. But in 13 games with the Rocket, he put up almost identical numbers and fell out of both leagues.

However, Kinkaid has brought his career back to some sort of relevance with the New York Rangers, and that is just great to see. We probably won’t see any Kinkaid action in these playoffs, but it is great to see that he is still here.

Why To Follow Them

The New York Rangers feel a little similar to the Montreal Canadiens, just further along. They are an extremely well-rounded team, and are young and hungry.

Pittsburgh Penguins

And we have reached the first team with no former Montreal Canadiens players, or Montreal Canadiens draft picks currently on the team. But that doesn’t mean there’s no reason to watch them. You get one of the last good looks at one of the best players of all time in Sidney Crosby. Crosby and his long time teammates Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang will have just one last chance to have a good run at the Cup, and this is it.

Washington Capitals

Lars Eller

Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports /

Montreal’s Danish Gretzky came to them from a roundabout way, via Toronto to San Jose to St. Louis. In fact, Lars Eller was one of the draft picks that San Jose sent to St. Louis to trade up to draft current captain Logan Couture.

Eller was also the main part of the return for Jaroslav Halak, who was coming off of that fantastic 2010 playoff run, but was left out in the cold because of Carey Price. Well, along with Ian Schultz, who never played an NHL game.

Eller was a solid enough bottom to middle sixer, without standing out too much, outside of one game against the Winnipeg Jets where he scored 4 goals in a single game.

In Washington it was much of the same. Eller has never scored more than 20 goals in a season, but was instrumental in Washington winning the Stanley Cup, scoring 7 goals and 18 points in 24 playoff games.

Why To Follow Them

The reason to watch Washington is almost too simple to state. You get to watch the best goal scorer, probably of all time, in Alex Ovechkin.

Colorado Avalanche

Artturi Lehkonen

Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

One of the last players to be traded away from the Montreal Canadiens this trade deadline and scored the biggest goal for the Montreal Canadiens this century. I am sure that all of us remember the exact moment that Artturi Lehkonen sent the Canadiens into the Stanley Cup Final.

Artturi Lehkonen has just finished the best season of his career. He scored 19 goals and 38 points between Montreal and Colorado, tops in both of those categories. Much like Ben Chiarot, Lehkonen outplayed the team and brought his value up too high to ignore.

In fact, Kent Hughes said that he didn’t even pick up the phone to call anyone, the calls just came ringing in. And you can’t say no to a top prospect like Justin Barron as well as a second round pick. If anyone thought that Lehkonen would get that last year, they were insane.

Just looking at the stats doesn’t tell the whole story with Lehkonen.  He has turned into a great defensive forward, and played on a shutdown line for most of last year’s playoff run. Lehkonen’s grittiness and defensive acumen should be a boon for the Colorado Avalanche who are looking for a deep playoff run.

Why To Follow Them

There’s no question that Colorado is one of the most exciting offensive teams in the league, and probably deserve better than they have. If you are looking for a team to win, odds are good for the Avalanche.

Minnesota Wild

Jon Merrill

Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports /

Talk about a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it career in Montreal, Jon Merrill is now a member of the Minnesota Wild. In fact, Merrill is having a career year in Minnesota.

He started off as a New Jersey Devil, via the Ilya Kovalchuk trade, was drafted by Vegas in the expansion draft and signed in Detroit. Then Montreal, trying to shore up their defense for a playoff run, traded Hayden Verbeek and a 5th round pick.

Merrill didn’t play much in Montreal, 13 regular season games, 13 postseason games. No points in either season. Unfortunately, the experiment of Merrill in Montreal didn’t really work out.

Merrill has built his career on defensive stoutness, and was brought in to be good defensively on the bottom pairing. However, head coach Dominique Ducharme didn’t seem to trust him on the third pairing and rode the top 4 defenders as hard as possible.

He signed in the offseason in Minnesota, and has new career highs in goals (4), assists (16) and points (20) in 69 games.

Jordie Benn

(Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
(Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Does anyone remember when we all got excited that the Montreal Canadiens traded for Benn from the Dallas Stars? Unfortunately, it was Jordie Benn, not his brother Jamie.

Not that the older Benn brother is that bad, but at the time Jamie Benn was an incredible scorer, and just what the Canadiens needed at the time. But the Habs got a solid 3rd pairing defender out of it for 3 years. In fact, his last season in Montreal was the best offensive year of his career.

Sure, he never did anything very special in his time in Montreal, and I am sure some people are surprised that Benn is on the Wild, having lost track of him after he left La Belle Province, but not every player can be that. And he has carved a little role into an interesting Minnesota team.

Nicolas Deslauriers

Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports /

Nico Deslauriers has been involved in 5 trades in his NHL career, involving 11 different players, the most notable of which is Brayden McNabb. Which is interesting in and of itself. Usually players involved in this many deals has some big names.

For example, Tim Erixon (who?) was involved in Deslauriers’ first trade, and was involved in trades that involved Brandon Dubinsky, Rick Nash, Pavel Buchnevich and Phil Kessel. It is more common than not to find some interesting big names while browsing through small name players on the Hockey Database.

In 2017-18, Deslauriers scored 10 goals as a Hab, most of his career. He is far better known for his physical play and fighting ability. One of the last of the goons, he brings some bite to the Minnesota Wild roster.

Why To Follow Them

If you need a reason to cheer for the Minnesota Wild other than three lesser-known former Canadiens, its that this might be the last games of the great Marc-Andre Fleury’s great career. And Kirill Kaprizov. That helps too.

St. Louis Blues

Marco Scandella

Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /

Marco Scandella had one of the most cut-and-dry career in Montreal. In January 2020, the Montreal Canadiens acquired him for a 4th round pick. And then, in February, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues for a 2nd and 4th round pick.

And that was after just 20 games with the Habs, with a goal and 3 points. And with the Blues he has stayed, sticking on the bottom pairing and providing a solid defensive game.

Why To Follow Them

I guess it depends on how much you like 80s music, but the more the St. Louis Blues win, the more we get to hear Gloria by Laura Brannigan. And who doesn’t want some more Gloria in their lives?

Dallas Stars

Alexander Radulov

Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

The Montreal Canadiens and the land of broken Russian forwards. They brought Kovalchuk back from the dead for about 20 games, and they got Alexander Radulov a big payday from the Dallas Stars.

Radulov played with the Nashville Predators before having to leave to his hometown KHL. And then, when deciding to come back to the NHL, Marc Bergevin decided to give him a chance. And it went pretty well.

Pacioretty scored 35 goals beside Radulov, who seemed to thrive on the spotlight of the Montreal Canadiens, and became a fan favorite. Unfortunately, the Stars outbid the Canadiens, and he went south to Texas.

Unfortunately, Radulov’s production has fallen low in the past two years, and if the Stars want to get by the Calgary Flames, they need some more production from the winger.

Joel Hanley

Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

I will be honest, I had no idea who Joel Hanley was. Most of the names were familiar to me on this list, except for surprises like Michael Bunting, but this one totally escaped my life so far.

Its not too surprising, I guess. He went undrafted and was signed by the Canadiens in 2015. He played 17 games in two seasons in Montreal, recording 6 assists, and spending time with the St. John’s Ice Caps.

He signed in Arizona, but then signed in Dallas since he spent most of the time in Tucson. In Dallas, Hanley has played the best hockey of his career, including this year, where he scored his first 2 NHL goals and played 44 games.

Why To Follow Them

The Dallas Stars are another team where this year feels like a last hurrah. Who knows how much players like Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alex Radulov have left in the tank? But when those three are on the same line and firing on all cylinders, then they are one of the most impressive offensive forces in the league.

Nashville Predators

Nick Cousins

Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

The Montreal Canadiens were just a quick pit stop on the career of Nick Cousins. In just 58 games, Cousins scored 9 goals and 22 points. Not bad for a depth position on the team. But as the Montreal Canadiens were dropping in the standings, he was flipped to the Vegas Golden Knights at the trade deadline.

Since then, Nick Cousins signed in Nashville, and continued his solid bottom 6 contributions there.

Michael McCarron

Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Its hard to look back at Michael McCarron’s time as a Montreal Canadiens because he so perfectly encapsulates the woes of this team for the past decade or so. He was a first round pick, which to be fair, he was a late at 25th overall, and he was a big, physical centreman.

For so long, Montreal’s offence was dominated by small, skilled wingers, and whoever they could find to be their centers. McCarron was supposed to be the center of the future; one of many who would fail to live up to their hype.

Through two extended looks in the NHL, McCarron scored just 2 goals and 8 points in 69 games. Fortunately, he has had a career year this year in Nashville, scoring 7 goals and 14 points in 51 games. Time will tell if it will keep up, but hopefully late in his career he can find some NHL stability.

Why To Follow Them

Without starting goalie Juuse Saros, the Nashville Predators are probably the biggest underdogs in the league in their series against the Avalanche. Watch them to get a true underdog story, and to see weird stuff like this:

Finally, we get to the Pacific Division. Finally, finally, finally. I am sure that many people are wondering when I am going to shut up, and luckily for those people, there are only three teams that made into the playoffs out of the Pacific. So with no further ado:

Calgary Flames

Tyler Toffoli

Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /

The reaction to the trade of Tyler Toffoli really testifies to his character and impact on the team. It is hard to believe that he was only on the team for a season and a half before departing to Calgary.

After leaving, it was said that Toffoli was the de-facto captain after the departure of the whole leadership core. And he is a pretty good offensive force as well. After scoring a point-per-game in his 10 game stint in Vancouver, Toffoli had arguably his best year in his first year as a Hab. If he kept up this pace over a full 82 game season, he would have had career highs in probably every catergory.

Now the return for Toffoli was a little underwhelming, especially when compared to other players this offseason, but it is not atrocious. Montreal gets Calgary’s first round pick next year, a bottom-sixer at best in Tyler Pitlick, and a prospect in Emil Heineman.

But, Toffoli brings some more offensive flair to a team that, in all reality, doesn’t really need it.

Why To Follow Them

If you are big Canadian fan, Calgary has probably the best chance of all the Canadian teams to win it all this year. Plus they are super fun to watch with all that high-end talent.

Edmonton Oilers

Zack Kassian

Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /

Okay. Zack Kassian can hardly be called a Montreal Canadiens alumni, but technically he was on the team, however he never played a game for the team.

Kassian was traded along with a 5th round pick for tough-guy Brandon Prust. But, before the season began, Kassian was in a car which he was not driving, that ran into a tree. The incident and circumstances placed Kassian in the substance abuse program.

Montreal traded him to Edmonton for Ben Scrivens, and fortunately, Kassian has been able to play consistently for the Edmonton Oilers for the past 7 years now.

Brett Kulak

Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-USA TODAY Sports /

As with many depth players, it seems that they like playing in Montreal for their first year. After coming to Montreal for Rinat Valiev and Matt Taormina, Brett Kulak had a career year, scoring 6 goals and 17 points.

Unfortunately, Kulak never reached that height again, but did shine defensively, especially when paired with Jeff Petry. But with Montreal’s defensive depth, Kulak never found a full time roster spot, and never played a full season.

However, in Edmonton, Kulak will have a good chance to flex his defensive muscles in a more expanded role.

Why To Follow Them

Do you really need a reason to cheer for the Edmonton Oilers? Connor McDavid. Leon Draisaitl. That’s all that needs to be said.

Los Angeles Kings

Phillip Danault

Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

This year, Phillip Danault scored 27 goals. If you take his two most offensively successful campaigns with Montreal, you would get 26 goals. Lord knows if this is sustainable, but it is an incredible run for a guy that really deserves it.

The best pure defensive forward in the game during his time in Montreal, Danault always seemed underrated and overhated due to his lack of ability to put the puck in the net. But he shut down all of the opponents’ top lines during that playoff run last year, and earned that big new contract.

He would not have put up those numbers in Montreal this year, and it is hard to see where his place would be, especially if Montreal drafts another young center. In fact, he might get played down the lineup due to L.A.’s boon of young centers, but this year has been something special for Phillip Danault. Can’t think of anyone better for it to happen to.

Why To Follow Them

The L.A. Kings should not be here. The L.A. Kings should be still rebuilding. And yet here they are, and the Vegas Golden Knights are out. I will love this team forever just for that, but it is also the last ride for Dustin Brown.

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Montreal Canadiens: The Perfect Ending To A Perfectly Un-Perfect Season. light. Trending

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