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Canadiens: Biggest Disappointments of the 2022-23 Season

By Ryan Praught

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 23: Joel Edmundson #44 of the Montreal Canadiens skates against the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden on March 23, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins win 4-2. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 23: Joel Edmundson #44 of the Montreal Canadiens skates against the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden on March 23, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins win 4-2. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) /
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Rem Pitlick #32 of the Montreal Canadiens
MONTREAL, CANADA – APRIL 13: Rem Pitlick #32 of the Montreal Canadiens jumps in the air as the puck enters the net during the second period against the Boston Bruins at Centre Bell on April 13, 2023 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Last season, Rem Pitlick was one of the biggest surprises going from waiver-wire pickup to key contributor. Last season, in 46 games, the forward put up 26 points. This year, he only landed on the scoresheet 15 times. Now admittedly, it probably wasn’t realistic to expect Pitlick to sustain the play of last season, a near 50-point pace. But I would say the drop-off was more significant than fans and management alike would’ve wanted.

In addition to less point production, his usage also went down, going from over 17 minutes a game last season to just under 13 minutes. At one point, it looked like Pitlick had a chance to carve out a role as a solid middle-six contributor on the Canadiens, much like another waiver-wire pickup in Paul Byron. Unfortunately, a year later, it seems Pitlick won’t have much of a future in Montreal.

It is worth mentioning that Pitlick is under contract for another season in Montreal, so his fortune can once again change with a better 2023-24 season. And at just 26 years old, I don’t want to write him off yet, but the bottom line is he needs a better year next season to cement himself as an NHLer, whether in Montreal or elsewhere.

Perhaps it was unfair to expect much out of Pitlick this year. Perhaps last season was just an incredible hot streak for Pitlick. Regardless, it’s hard to watch him play that well and not expect him to play at least close to that level, and I just don’t think he did. His decline in ice time leads me to believe I wasn’t alone in that thinking.

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