Sam Lafferty, F
Sam Lafferty is another player with a style similar to Dakota Joshua’s, and he, too, isn’t afraid to get disruptive to break up plays and when in the offensive zone, to score a solid number of goals. You may scoff at the mere 13 times he found the net this season - a career-high, by the way - but let’s consider the 16.7 shooting percentage, which was also a career-high.
No, Lafferty probably wouldn’t hit that lofty number in Montreal, but it still shows that he’s got the ability to score a little more than you may think when he’s firing pucks at the net. Lafferty also outplayed his possession quality of minus-3.9 at even strength, finding himself on the ice for 34 goals for and 32 against.
It’s also worth pointing out that he did a much better job helping the Canucks move the puck and set up chances with a Corsi For of 48.2 at even strength. It doesn’t seem like a great number until you factor in that it was also a career-high in seasons when he played in at least 34 games.
The downside with a player like Lafferty over someone like Joshua is that the former doesn’t have the potential to stick around long-term, or at least that’s the case now. Dakota Joshua is a little younger, and the breakout campaign he enjoyed signifies that he could sign for a reasonable deal and be in Montreal for at least a few seasons.