The 2024 year was supposed to be different for the Montreal Canadiens. They believed their rebuild was starting to end, and they wondered whether 2024 would end with them looking ahead to a run at the playoffs in 2025. The year ended with a string of wins that elevated them to sixth place in the Atlantic Division, but they are still seven points behind in a playoff race. This series will examine how each player performed over the 2024 calendar year. Next up is underperforming forward Josh Anderson.
Anderson had a down season in 2023-24, but his start to the 2024-25 season has him on pace to match his career-high with the Canadiens. His previous career-high with Montreal was 21 goals and 11 assists in 69 games, but he also hasn't missed any games yet this season. Anderson's ability to stay healthy is a massive reason for whether or not he succeeds, as some injuries in his past cause him to return with a slower pace.
Anderson played nearly the equivalent of an 82-game season over the 2024 calendar year, recording 23 points in 78 games. It hasn't gone as he would've liked in Montreal, but that doesn't mean he can't turn it around to help the Canadiens on their quest to be playoff contenders. The most significant issue for Anderson is that he was brought in as a power-forward type player but his physicality has gone downhill over the past few seasons.
In the games in 2024 where Anderson showed flashes of physical play and being a pest to play against, he was at his best. However, there are too many games where he is invisible on the ice and plays up-and-down his side of the ice. It'd be nice if he could find a balance, but it's also understandable that the fanbase's patience is starting to wear thing.
Martin St. Louis started using Anderson in a new role, slotting him in for some penalty kill shifts, which has given him more time on the ice. It may not be the role that the Canadiens wanted him to play when they brought him into the fold, but it'll make him a valuable piece of the team for the next three years.