One of the first big decisions the Montreal Canadiens made at training camp this year was to have Chris Kreider play on the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. The veteran free agent replaces Juraj Slafkovsky, who moves back to the second line with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov.
It is a move that makes a lot of sense for the Canadiens, as it really helps balance the Top 6 and give them more depth. This also doesn't mean that the Canadiens are going to stay with these lines all season, and as needed, they can shuffle the line combinations.
However, it is not as simple as swapping Kreider and Slafkovsky, as they play slightly different styles, and Nick Suzuki recently described the differences in how they play.
"I think Kreider does a good job dropping down low, and he's pretty sneaky at making plays. He's kind of known as a goal-scorer, but he's got a lot of nice touches around the net and keeping pucks alive," Suzuki said.
"[Slafkovsky] does a lot of that too but Slaf likes to come in high ice. He likes to make plays so it's a little bit different for me and Cole when we're playing with kind of two guys that play a little bit different but we just have to read off each other make the best reads we can."
Chris Kreider looks to be the perfect complement to Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield
Over the second half of last season, the Canadiens had the trio of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky as their top line. These three together were productive, with an xGF% of 56.15% in 5v5 situations compared to 46.96% when they weren't on the ice together, according to Natural Stat Trick.
However, the playoffs were a different story as they weren't as productive with an xGF% of 43.71%, and that might be one of the reasons for the Canadiens to put Kreider on that top line. It was clear, especially against the Hurricanes, they needed someone who can keep the puck low in the zone and win those battles.
Kreider not only can control the puck but also will certainly help in front of the net as Suzuki notes. Last season, Kreider had 73 individual high-danger chances in 5v5 situations with the Ducks, and that was nine more than any player on the Canadiens had last season.
By adding a player with Kreider's ability around the net with a playmaker like Suzuki or a shooter like Caufield, there is a great chance that they will complement each other well together on the top line. It will be interesting to see once the games start if what looks good on paper translates to production on the ice or the Canadiens could once again have Slafkovsky back on that top line.
Add us as a preferred source on Google