In continuing with the grading player's seasons exercise, we move on to the second defenseman on my list - Jordan Harris.
Harris is a perfect example of simplicity done to perfection, very seldom does he do too much or overthink. He makes the right play each time and he has the smarts and skating ability to evade pressure. Sneaky skill is something that Harris has a lot of and when you least expect it, he spins out of a bad situation and makes a smart pass to get out of trouble.
It wasn't a season without injury trouble, but when he did play he exhibited his calm, cool and collected style. That paired with his versatility to play on his off side are two big reasons why he gets to play a lot of minutes. An issue arose when he went down injured - since his former Northeastern Huskies teammate Jayden Struble was called upon.
This meant that the Canadiens had Kaiden Guhle, Mike Matheson, Harris, Struble and Arber Xhekaj all left-shot defensemen. Because Harris doesn't provide the physicality and offensive prowess of some of his counterparts, it could lead to some pieces being moved. I don't think that Harris had a bad year at all, in fact I think that if the Habs were to announce they are willing to part ways with Harris, many teams would pick up the phone.
Harris scored 14 points this past season, which doesn't leap off the chart, but if you watch Harris you know that isn't what his game is about. I think Harris is a minimum third-pair defender on any team in the NHL and there would never be a complaint from his coach. He isn't flashy, but he gets the job done and doesn't hurt his team.
Unfortunately for him, the Canadiens need more goals and he doesn't exactly provide that. But if added to a package, he could certainly entice another general manager into some trade talks. I think that Harris had a solid year and will continue to grow - so with that said, I will give him a B.