Montreal Canadiens: Surprisingly, There Are Three Habs Who Deserve To Be At All-Star Weekend But Were Snubbed
The Montreal Canadiens have not had the best season of anyone in the National Hockey League.
They entered their All-Star break on Saturday night with yet another game that required extra time. They would lose that game as Marcus Pettersson fired a shot over the glove hand of Jake Allen and gave the Pittsburgh Penguins a much needed overtime victory.
The loss left the Canadiens with a record of 20-21-8 and 48 points in 49 games played. They are on pace to end the season with about 80 points or perhaps a touch less than that which is about all we could have expected at the beginning of the season. Adding in the fact they have lost Kirby Dach for the entire season and others like Alex Newhook have missed considerable time and the team has probably overachieved a little bit.
Still, they are looking like they will be sellers ahead of the trade deadline. There is suddenly a little bit of separation between the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference and the rest of the pack. The Canadiens are firmly in the second tier as they are nine points back of the Detroit Red Wings for the last wildcard spot.
Still, as we mentioned already, they are playing better than we thought they would when the season began. The reason for that is great performances from a handful of players in the first half of the season.
Nick Suzuki was recognized for his strong play so far in 2023-24 as he will be heading to the All-Star Game festivities this weekend in Toronto. He deserves it with 13 goals and 42 points in 49 games.
However, after looking at the All-Star rosters, a trio of other Canadiens stand out as players that should be involved in the activities this weekend as well.
Sam Montembeault
The Montreal Canadiens brought in Sam Montembeault as emergency insurance when Carey Price's 2021-22 season was supposed to be slightly delayed. They must have had some internal conversations about whether or not it was even necessary to claim Montembeault off waivers since Price was only supposed to miss a few weeks and Cayden Primeau could have backed up Jake Allen to begin that season.
Also, Montembeault had a .892 save percentage in 25 career games at that point and he was already 25 years old. The previous season, his save percetange in the AHL was just .898 so it is not like he was guaranteed to be plucked off waivers at all.
However, he has been quite good for the Canadiens, especially this season and last year. His counting numbers are still not outstanding as he has a 3.10 GAA and a .905 SV% but some advanced metrics show he is playing excellent hockey. Standing in the crease behind a bottom ten team with an incredibly young defense has led to some tough nights, but mostly solid performances from Montembeault.
According to goals saved above expected, which essentially measures the quality of shots a goaltender has faced, Montembeault is among the best in the league at stopping pucks that the average goalie lets in.
Goals Saved Above Expected Leaders - January 27 pic.twitter.com/xKMxRNxv61
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) January 27, 2024
He is not right at the top, but also plays a lot less than the goalies in front of him on this list as he battles a three goalie situation with the Canadiens.
You know who is nowhere near this list? All-Star goaltender Alexandar Georgiev who plays behind one of the best teams in the league and certainly the best defense in the NHL but still has a .898 SV%. He was voted in which just shows how ridiculous the system for selecting All-Star rosters really is.
Mike Matheson
Mike Matheson is another player the Canadiens acquired, but must not have known exactly what they had landed in the deal.
Matheson was a first round pick of the Florida Panthers and looked good there initially but struggled before being shipped to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Patric Hornqvist in a kind of change of scenery trade involving big contracts.
When he arrived in Montreal, it was assumed by Pittsburgh they had upgraded their defense by bringing in Petry but that did not prove to be the case. While Petry struggled in Pittsburgh, Matheson flourished in Montreal.
This season, Matheson is tied for 12th among defensemen in points with 34 on seven goals and 27 assists. He is also 5th among all skaters in ice time in the NHL this season. In an All-Star game you want players that gamble offensively and don't really care about the defensive side of the game as much and Mike Matheson is perfectly cut out for that role.
He can carry the puck up ice with tremendous speed and create offense by driving to the net himself or setting up a teammate with a cross ice pass.
Looking at the All-Star rosters and incredibly there are only four defensemen involved. Four teams will be drafted by team captains to pick the teams and it appears there will be one defender on each team.
Wouldn't it make more sense to have about four more defenders? Matheson playing in the game while Boone Jenner, who has 18 points in 34 games stays home would make a lot more sense.
Cole Caufield
There is no other Canadiens player more deserving of an All-Star Game than Cole Caufield. The whole purpose of an All-Star Weekend is to entertain the fans in the stands and those who still tune in from around the world.
Who plays a more entertaining game on the Canadiens than Caufield? The guy can score goals from anywhere on the ice and has the speed, skills and of course the shot that would be on full display during an all out offensive game like an All Star Game.
Caufield has also overcome a slow stretch and has 17 goals and 39 points in 49 games this season. That doesn't put him among the league leaders, but it does put him well ahead of a few players who are participating this weekend.
Tom Wilson, for example, has 12 goals and just 21 points in 46 games this season. Wouldn't it make more sense to have a pure goal scorer with elite skills like Caufield instead of a gritty, hardworking winger with some skills, like Tom Wilson, at an All-Star Game?
Of course, the only reason Wilson is there is because the NHL insists on having a player from each team. But what makes more sense? Ensuring a player from each team is in attendance, or having a couple of extra players from the Maple Leafs biggest rival on the ice in Toronto to face the handful of players from the local team?
You would think the elite skill would win out, but the NHL refuses to change old rules, no matter how nonsensical on non impactful they have proven to be over the years. As such, a trio of Canadiens will stay home when they should be attending the All-Star Game this weekend.
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