Canadiens: In Other News… Lack of Secondary Scoring, Kotkaniemi Struggles

For pretty much the entirety of the 2023-24 season thus far, the Montreal Canadiens have found themselves stuck in the less than ideal .500 bubble. Finding themselves 21-21-8 as we conclude the NHL’s All-Star Break, the Habs are feeling good after an impressive 5-2 win over an offensively putrid Washington Capitals team on Tuesday.

Sitting two points ahead of the Buffalo Sabres for second-to-last place in the Atlantic Division, somehow still being 8 points ahead of the Ottawa Senators for last place (seriously, how can Ottawa win both of their past two games against Montreal and still be 8 points behind them), the Canadiens are in a less than ideal spot in terms of their odds in the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft.

While it’s expected the team’s performance will suffer following the recent departure of key pieces like Sean Monahan, head coach Martin St. Louis has shown that his teams will still find ways to win no matter the talent available.

The biggest bug bear for the Canadiens this season has been their offense, tied for an Eastern Conference worst -36 goal differential (the Sharks lead the league with a -92, yes, -92), lacking in any true consistent offensive support outside of the duo of franchise forwards Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. Going into this upcoming off-season, Montreal will be searching for another high draft pick in this year’s Draft Lottery, hoping to find another promising top-end scorer after selecting two-way defenseman David Reinbacher 5th overall in last year’s draft, over presumed 2nd overall pick Matvei Michkov.

While the future looks bright with the combination of Caufield, Suzuki, and the continued improvements of former first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, things are still getting settled for the Habs. With a number of developments involving past and current Canadiens across the NHL and this professional hockey landscape, here’s a look at what’s been happening, in other news… for the Montreal Canadiens.

Harvey-Pinard’s struggles demonstrate a worrying lack of secondary scoring

Rafael-Harvey Pinard and the rest of Montreal’s supporting cast on offense, have been terrible this season. There’s no other way to put it.  Now, it goes without saying that it was a less than ideal start to the season for most of the Habs top players like Caufield and top prospect Juraj Slafkovsky.

However, both have since picked up their play in the second half of the campaign and then some, with Caufield now playing at essentially the same pace as last season with 17-23-40 totals over 50 games, while, in 11 more games played then last season, Slafkovsky has 12 more points, an encouraging pace which signifies his confidence and consistency are growing. 

With this, Suzuki now has some much needed support alongside No. 1 defenseman Mike Matheson, which, while an encouraging sign, simply hasn’t been enough to keep the team competitive, especially when the rest of the lineup has completely and entirely failed to keep up the pace, preferring instead it seems to pick at sunflowers and draw smiley faces in the dirt. And nowhere has this been more apparent than with guys like Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher, and Harvey-Pinard.

While I’ve already discussed Anderson and Gallagher in parts, with either their lack of finishing (Anderson) or continued lack of footspeed (Gallagher) making them a non factor in the lineup, going into this season, I was hopeful of Harvey-Pinard’s potential as a legitimate top-six forward. After having gone on a remarkable run to end last season, posting 14-6-20 totals over 34 games, Pinard stepped up when the injury bug had entirely decimated the Habs lineup yet again.

Having already established himself as a legitimate first-line option with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, Pinard brought an offensive consistency to Laval’s lineup that hadn’t been seen since the days of Chris Terry winning the AHL scoring title in 2017-18 in spite of the Rocket’s dismal performance. 

While he was a key part of Laval’s miraculous run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals (finishing tied for third on the team in playoff scoring) Pinard has struggled to show much if any of that same ability thus far in 23-24, having posted just 1-6-7 totals over 22 games.

Like a lot of former top AHL players who find brief success at the NHL level (Mark Arcobello, Brad Smyth, Steve Maltais, etc.) Pinard got his lucky bounces last season and finished plays when opportunities presented themselves, with a few highlight-reel goals and his first career hat-trick to show for it. However, the reality of the NHL is that luck can only get you so far, and having not been able to capitalize on those same chances this season, it’s been a slow and worrying start for Pinard.

While it is still too early to write him off entirely, with there always being a chance he picks up his play post-All Star break, there is also a growing concern that Pinard is ultimately just another Charles Hudon, or Aaron Palushaj. Players who served key offensive roles for the Canadiens AHL teams but could never show that same ability at the NHL level.

Being signed for a team-friendly deal at around $1 million AAV, Pinard’s surge last season brought a lot of hope to the Habs offensive depth, but with little to show for thus far this season, it's make or break time for the Saguenay native.

Rocket Leading Scorer Brandon Gignac Signs Two-Year NHL Deal, Impresses in Debut

It’s been a long and winding road for Quebec-born center Brandon Gignac. Yet, after spending each of the past three seasons on AHL-only contracts, the Laval Rocket’s leading scorer this season has finally signed with the Canadiens, on a two-year, two-way deal for league minimum. After enduring an ECHL demotion in the 2020-21 season and his NHL future seemingly bleaker than ever, Gignac has rebuilt his career in Laval and earned the complete and total trust of head coach Jean-Francois Houle.

Ever since their beginnings in a dismal 2017-18 season that saw them finish with a 12-game losing streak, the Rocket have built a reputation for feel-good stories and a lineup largely built around the unknowns and the underdogs.

Whether it be overlooked prospects like Joshua Roy and Xavier Simoneau, or minor-league journeymen like Danick Martel and Tory Dello, the Rocket have established a culture based around hard-work and selfless play, and nowhere has this been more apparent, than with guys like Gignac. The departure of fan-favorite and the heart and soul of Laval since 2018-19, Alex Belzile, definitely left a hole in both the Rocket’s lineup and team culture after signing with the Rangers this past off-season, but almost immediately, Gignac has stepped in not only in the locker room, but on the ice as well.

Along with Captain and NHL veteran Gabriel Bourque, Gignac has been a model of consistency for Laval on both sides of the puck. However, while he had shown solid defensive ability and a decent scoring touch over his first two seasons, neither me nor anyone else could’ve predicted the pace Gignac would be playing at this season.

With remarkable 14-28-42 totals over 43 games, placing him 5th (yes, 5th) in the entire AHL in scoring, Gignac has simply been dominant for Laval this season being a deadly threat on both sides of the puck with his remarkable speed, stickhandling abilities, and penalty killing expertise. With this, the Repetigny native has earned an NHL opportunity once more, having just 1 career game to his name with the New Jersey Devils in 2018-19.

Playing a bottom-six role in the Canadiens win over the Capitals, Gignac didn’t look a step out of place and made some nice plays here and there, showcasing his aforementioned skating ability. With a Canadiens roster once-again decimated by injuries and inconsistencies though, there’s a chance Gignac makes an immediate impact and brings some much needed energy to a Habs lineup reeling from a less-than ideal recent stretch.

Bonus: Nikita Kucherov’s All-Star Skills Performance a Much Needed Example of why Event Must Change

The NHL’s All-Star weekend has become a complete and total joke and an insult to the incredible skill and talent available in today’s game. The best players in the world are reduced to loafing around during a bunch of parlor games like a cheap sideshow attraction, the kind you throw rotten tomatoes and yell at to get off the stage rather than applaud in any conceivable manner. Ultimately, it was only a matter of time before one of the NHL’s stars decided he wasn’t going to dance his little dance and play along, and who else but Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov to do so.

Kucherov’s half-hearted effort in the passing challenges and other similarly stupid events attracted the ire of fans, announcers, commentators and league executives alike, and while its clear those covering the event are in essence being paid by the NHL to act like its a big deal, it most certainly isn’t and should not even be considered as anything remotely so.

I can understand the nostalgia associated with the All-Star game and the fun it brings for younger fans, but at the end of the day its a joke of an event and one that, in my opinion, isn't fun to watch in the slightest unless your very young, where at that point your likely not paying attention to much of what's going on. The players barely put any effort in three-on-three and the skills competition is entirely pointless and again, makes the players seem like sideshow acts rather than being recgonized for their talent.

The NHL has already suspended and fined players like Alex Ovechkin for refusing to participate in the festivities, but the reaction and speculation regarding Kucherov’s antics are quite frankly completely ridiculous. From being suspended for more than just a few games to losing favor with a potential Hart Trophy nomination, the speculation has just become so ridiculously overblown I can’t actually believe these are serious opinions people are actually standing behind and supporting as legitimate fact.

The NHL-All-Star game sucks. Tickets are over-inflated and most are given to sponsors leaving fans without great view of the action if there is any, it’s a clear attempt by the NHL to appease owners and appeal the sport as family-friendly when it’s just an insult to the skill these players actually possess, and at the end of the day, it's just a way for the NHL to shell out sponsorships and spend a weekend making money easily rather than actually having to put effort in.

What Kucherov did was completely justified and I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner, and if you happen to think otherwise then maybe you should go watch the Harlem Globetrotters play instead. This is the best hockey league in the world, not some cheap sideshow attraction, and Nikita Kucherov’s performance makes a point of what an insult of an event the All-Star game has become.