Montreal Canadiens: Expectations For Sean Farrell’s Rookie Year

It’s all but clear now that Montreal Canadiens prospect Sean Farrell should have been a first-round pick, after his dominant NCAA career. He signed his entry-level contract at the end of his sophomore season, signalling the start of his professional career. During his six-game stint, he posted one goal and was a minus two.

Albeit a small debut, pundits still found things to nitpick about his game. I think if there were any areas that needed big improvement, then the development staff would have relayed that to Farrell. It’s likely he had an offseason plan to fix, improve and refine certain things to prepare him best for the Canadiens training camp.

Given the intelligence that Farrell possesses, it would be a mistake to bet against the diminutive winger. While posting brilliant numbers all throughout his two-year NCAA career, he also performed in the classroom as well, as a true student-athlete. Farrell completed his Economics degree at Harvard in just three years, and he will receive his diploma next year.

With a pretty congested group of wingers set to play on the big club, it is more likely than not that Farrell plays in the American Hockey League with Laval. He didn’t look really comfortable in the NHL last year, but he did show growth and he looked a little less nervous after each shift. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a big number of games to assess where he is developmentally, but the areas that needed improvement were quite obvious.

In college Farrell’s speed, hands and offensive zone acumen stood out most, and his size wasn’t much of a concern. But if he wishes to play with the Canadiens, he will benefit most from adding muscle to his frame and working on making his skating more explosive. Should he prove at training camp that he improved in these areas, it will translate to that cerebral playmaking ability that he is known for.

So, if he has in fact improved his skating and strength, then he could be one of the final cuts at Canadiens camp or even force Kent Hughes to make tough decisions. In my opinion, however, I think he is best suited to play big minutes in JF Houle’s system and adjust to the higher level of play. It’s no knock against him, but a sign of the strength of players in the Habs system.

The Rocket would benefit largely from having Farrell’s services, because of his ability to open up space for his teammates. His ability to get open and bait opponents will endear him to the young shooters set to play for the Rocket. With added strength, he should be able to sling hard, accurate passes and use his shot to make him a dual threat in the attacking zone.

Predicting statistical output is a tall task, but it is great to have a certain range that you believe a player can attain. For this prediction, let’s assume that he plays the majority of his season in the AHL. I think 10-15 goals on the lower end is attainable, and because of his brilliant playmaking abilities, I think 25-30 assists is a safe bet -with a chance to produce even more- but for the sake of a reasonable prediction, I would say 40-45 points would be a solid rookie season stat line.

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