Montreal Canadiens: Top 5 Biggest Disappointments Of The Season

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As we turn the corner on the 2023-24 season and head for the home stretch, the Montreal Canadiens as a whole have had a fairly successful year relative to expectations. However, as with any year, there are bound to be some players that are not up to snuff.

It should be noted that I felt it unfair to include any players on this list who are still in the developmental stage of their careers, so you won’t find Arber Xhekaj or Justin Barron here. Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of underachieving to go around.

Disappointment is defined as the sadness or displeasure caused by the non-fulfillment of one’s hopes or expectations. So let’s get to it, here are the top five biggest disappointments of the season to date:

#5 – Jake Allen

It’s been tough sledding for the 33-year-old netminder. With a 5-9-3 record, 3.43 GAA and .901 save percentage, Allen has looked very ordinary between the pipes. While Samuel Montembeault has clearly established himself as the 1A in this tandem, Allen and his 3.85 M cap hit continue to impede the development of young Cayden Primeau.

I don’t believe it was the intention of Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes when the club broke camp in October to still have three goaltenders on the roster at the 50-game mark. He would have preferred to have moved Allen by now but the veteran’s mediocre play, coupled with his salary cap implications have not made that possible.

There may have been some trade opportunities earlier in the season when teams like the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs were struggling with inconsistency in goal but that door has firmly closed. The fact that Allen has another year left on his deal makes it unlikely that Hughes will find a suitable trade partner before the deadline without retaining salary. In other words, for now, we are stuck with him.

It’s a tough pill to swallow but one that would go down easier if Allen was performing well. It’s an eerily similar scenario with the next player on our list.

Ottawa Senators v Montreal Canadiens / Minas Panagiotakis/GettyImages

#4 – Josh Anderson

Anderson went without a goal in his first 24 games to start the year. That alone is enough to call him a disappointment. The hope that when one finally went in, the floodgates would open also did not come to fruition. The one-time 27 goal scorer is stuck on seven goals for the year and has not looked like the dominant power forward we have seen flashes of in the past.

It certainly hasn’t been from a lack of chances either. Anderson got numerous looks on the PP1 and was not able to take advantage. He also spent large chunks of the season flanking top pivot Nick Suzuki to no avail. Anderson has since ceded those roles to Juraj Slafkovksy, who is flourishing.

Like Allen, what makes matters worse is that Anderson is not going anywhere. With three years remaining on his contract at a 5.5 million AAV, it appears that big number 17 will continue to roam the wing in bleu-blanc-rouge for years to come.

At least in Anderson’s case, one can cling to the hope that he will get his touch back because the 29-year-old has not lost a step at all. He continues to be an elite skater. The same cannot be said for the next guy on our list.

#3 – Brendan Gallagher

The decline is real for Gally. For those of you still hoping for a bounce back, don’t hold your breath. The heart and soul winger is mired in another difficult year, sitting on eight goals for the season. A far cry from the two 30-goal campaigns he delivered in his prime. This is no longer just a trend, it has become Gallagher’s reality.

The only good news for Gallagher is that he managed to stay healthy. His game has not aged well and it’s gotten so bad that he often resorts to taking lazy penalties and is currently serving a five game suspension for a dirty hit. Not exactly role model material.

I love Gally as much as the next guy and I’m sure his intentions are good but it’s getting difficult to watch. Unfortunately, in keeping with the pattern, he is another player whose contract keeps him in Montreal for the foreseeable future.

The two biggest letdown players of the year are in a bit of a different boat because while they were less proven than the veterans above, Habs fans were hoping they were integral parts of the short term future.

Montreal Canadiens v Washington Capitals / Patrick Smith/GettyImages

#2 – Jake Evans

As a seventh round pick that spent four years in college and two years in the AHL, Evans was certainly a late bloomer. However, for a player that showed so much promise when he first arrived in Montreal, the bloom is off the rose for Evans as he slogs through another punch-less season.

After Evans flashed with some inspired play in the 2021 playoff run and followed that up with 13 goals in 72 games in 2021-22. He looked at worst a very good third-line center with some top-six fill-in potential. Just two short years later, and Evans barely looks suited for the press box let alone the fourth line.

With just four goals in his last 104 games, Evans has shown to be little more than a decent penalty killer. This season has been especially frustrating to watch as Evans has been unable to seize the moment and take advantage of a slew of injuries and opportunities.

Long-term ailments to Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook and Christian Dvorak should have had Evans in line for a career season. Yet even with Sean Monahan having recently been traded, Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis has such little faith in Evans’ ability to drive offence that he’s got him playing behind career AHLer Brandon Gignac.

#1 – Rafael Harvey-Pinard

What a fall back to earth it’s been for Harvey-Pinard. It’s easy to forget that this is a guy who was in the conversation to play on the top line with Suzuki and Cole Caufield back in training camp.

Expectations could not have been higher for the 25-year-old Saguenay native and rightfully so after he exploded onto the scene last season with 14 goals in 34 games. RHP has struggled through a difficult year marred with injury setbacks and a scoring drought in which he has tallied just one goal in 23 games. The most troubling part of Harvey-Pinard’s game has been the lack of tenacity and grit that was his calling card and made him such a pleasure to watch.

For a player who was pencilled in for a top-six role by many fans and viewed as the next Gallagher, it’s been incredibly disappointing to watch RHP’s regression back to a fringe NHL player. However, just like all his fellow disappointers, Harvey-Pinard is also under contract and will get another kick at the can.

There is still time for these players to turn it around and get some positive vibes going but make no mistake they are entering last-chance territory and their contracts will only keep them around for so long.

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