If you take a look at the National Hockey League’s power play percentage rankings, the Montreal Canadiens are middle of the pack. On the surface that doesn’t seem that bad, but numbers can sometimes be misleading.
Of the four goals the Habs have scored on the man advantage this season, only two of them have come when they were in formation with their first power play unit.
One was by Cole Caufield way back in the season opener against Toronto, a wrister from the high slot that deflected off a stick and resulted in a knuckleball that fooled Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov. While Caufield was quick to his spot and aggressive to get his shot off, the result was more of a lucky break than anything else.
The other goal was a tic-tac-toe beauty against Washington where Sean Monahan was set up perfectly for a tap-in on the doorstep by Nick Suzuki following a great cross seam pass from Caufield to the Captain.
Execution like that has not been there on a consistent basis and I believe it’s due to a lack of skill on the Canadiens top unit, especially after the unfortunate season ending injury to Kirby Dach. To this point, Dach’s spot on the top unit alongside Suzuki, Caufield, Monahan and Mike Matheson has been filled by Josh Anderson and it has not gone well.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m an Anderson fan and I love the powerhorse for the second unit but he seems out of place among his more talented teammates on the PP1. Anderson’s game is predicated on speed and driving to the net in transition, not the kind of precision playmaking needed to succeed in the half court style offense of the power play.
This isn’t the old days where you just park a guy in front of the net to provide screens and bang in loose pucks, you need guys on the ice who can stickhandle in a phone booth and find passing lanes with pinpoint accuracy.
While a case could be made for Alex Newhook or Justin Barron to get a look, to me there is one player who would benefit the most from playing additional minutes with the most elite players on the team and that’s Juraj Slafkovsky.
Like Anderson, Slafkovksy is goalless to start the season and has been struggling to get much going at even strength on a line with Newhook and Rafael Harvey-Pinard or on a second power play unit that isn’t nearly as loaded offensively.
Slafkovsky has shown flashes of the high end skill that made him the Canadiens first overall pick in 2022 and he should certainly be able to hold his own in a situation where he would have more time and space to operate.
The big Slovak winger has the ability to both create and finish plays while also possessing the frame to be a net front presence. He would fit in seamlessly within the group as a dual threat option and the experience could do wonders for his confidence and offensive growth.
One of the qualities I have admired most about Martin St. Louis as a coach is his willingness to not only play his young players but to put them in a position to have success. The Canadiens have been patient with their young stallion, breaking him in slowly but now it’s time to start loosening the reins.
Anderson may have been the easy choice as first man up to replace Dach but it’s time to put the powerhorse back in the barn and let the stallion run.
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