Montreal Canadiens: Former Habs Helping New Teams Find Success in Playoffs

The Montreal Canadiens were further from the playoffs than any other team in the league. But, players who used to be on the Habs are doing quite well so far in the 2022 postseason.

The Canadiens have gone through quite a facelift between now and the end of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. Eleven of the 22 players who played in the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning are no longer on the team.

That’s wild, considering it was just ten months ago that the Habs were in the final round of the playoffs. A couple more of those players could be on the way out this offseason as well. It has been basically a complete reset in a very short time.

Eric Staal and Shea Weber haven’t played in the NHL since last season. Phillip Danault, Corey Perry, Erik Gustafsson, and Jon Merrill left as free agents and Tyler Toffoli, Ben Chiarot, Artturi Lehkonen, and Brett Kulak were traded during this season. Jesperi Kotkaniemi also left via an offer sheet.

Thats 11 players, or half of those who played at all in the final, gone already. Jeff Petry seems to be on the way out soon, Carey Price may have played his final game already and Paul Byron is entering the final year of his contract. There might be nothing left of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final team in no time.

Not only was the Habs awful record this season enough to suffer through, watching the 2022 playoffs gives constant reminders of past Canadiens teams that were far more successful than their most recent one.

Not just in the playoffs, but literally every series. In fact, every single team left in the playoffs has a former member of the Canadiens on it.

Eastern Conference

Jesperi Kotkaniemi had an up and down regular season with the Carolina Hurricanes, finishing the season with 29 points in 66 games. It was his first year with the Canes after signing an offer sheet and being allowed to go for a first round pick and a third round pick in return. He scored zero points in a seven game first round win over the Boston Bruins.

Max Domi was picked up by the Hurricanes at the trade deadline. He now finds himself playing a top six role with Vincent Trocheck and Teuvo Teravainen. The trio was a force in Game 7, with Domi scoring twice and assisting on another to finish the opening round with five points as the Canes blew past the Bruins and onto Round 2 against the New York Rangers.

The New York Rangers don’t have any former Habs skaters in the playoff lineup, though Jarred Tinordi and Keith Kinkaid did get some playing time in during the regular season. They do, however, have a very familiar face behind the bench. Gerard Gallant was a popular Habs assistance coach for two seasons, helping guide the team to the 2014 Eastern Conference Final before leaving to take over as the Florida Panthers head coach.

Speaking of the Florida Panthers, they acquired Ben Chiarot at the trade deadline from the Canadiens and he helped the Panthers get by the Washington Capitals in Round 1. Chiarot averaged just over 17 minutes per game, much less than he did with the Habs last season, but he kills penalties and plays that rugged style we all know so well which makes the Panthers more difficult to play against.

The Tampa Bay Lightning squeaked past the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 1, with some help from a few former Habs. Mikhail Sergachev only played a handful of games in Montreal before being traded to the Lightning and he has blossomed into a great two-way defender. He played 22:34 per game in all situations and added a pair of assists in the seven game nail biting series win.

Ryan McDonagh never played for the Canadiens but he was drafted by the team many years ago. He was infamously traded for Scott Gomez before turning pro and is still a key player on a top team all these years later. He played 22:09 per contest and added a goal and three points in the series.

Corey Perry left Montreal after one season because the Lightning offered him a two-year contract. He plays on the Lightning’s fourth line which is a gritty, grinding, cycling line that averages just under ten minutes per game. He scored a pair of goals in the series against the Maple Leafs.