Jiri Hudler: Should the Habs Be Calling?

by Matt Smith, Staff Writer/Social Media Specialist, All Habs Hockey Magazine

Pop Quiz: Who placed ninth in NHL scoring during the 2014-’15 regular season, scoring 31 goals and 45 assists? If you answered Jiri Hudler, you’re correct!

Next question: Should the Montreal Canadiens be interested in his services for the upcoming season?

Jiri Hudler, Right Wing, Calgary Flames/Florida Panthers
January. 4, 1984 | Olomouc, Czech Republic
5-10, 183 lbs. | Shoots Left |
2015-’16 Stats: 72 GP, 16 G, 30 A, 46 Pts

Hudler may not have finished in the top-10 of NHL scoring last season, but he did score 16 goals which would have ranked him fourth on the Canadiens and 46 points which would have ranked him fifth on the team.

With all of the adjustments that have been made to the Montreal Canadiens roster this off-season, Hudler could be an inexpensive option to boost team scoring, particularly since he’s presently without a contract as we enter the month of August. The Habs currently have just over $855,000 in cap space available. It’s safe to assume that Hudler would cost more than that to sign, so a deal would most likely have to be made in order to facilitate a contract.

Hudler, who turns 33 in January, may have already played the best hockey of his career, but he is still a player who has generated impressive numbers offensively the last two seasons accumulating 122 points (47 goals, 75 assists) for the Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers.

Hudler’s defensive play and lack of size have sometimes been a point of criticism. He’s certainly not a player who will throw you through the boards. But I believe he’d play well on the wing (most likely on the left side) with defensive centre, and fellow Czech national Tomas Plekanec. Hudler could also add additional firepower for Kirk Muller who could deploy Jiri on the man advantage, as he’s capable of generating scoring chances while playing in any forward position.

I’m not one to write about advanced statistics, but one that caught my attention was Hudler’s points/60 of 2.10 playing 5-on-5, which was the same as Max Pacioretty last season. Both Pacioretty and Hudler had a superior points/60, 5-on-5 than players such as Alex Ovechkin (2.03), Joe Pavelski (2.07), and Artemi Panarin (2.08).

At this stage of the off-season, Jiri Hudler is still without a contract, and will make considerably less than the $4 million he received last season. I believe that the Habs should fully take advantage of this situation by offering him a one-year contract that will not break the bank, or perhaps even invite him for a professional tryout.

Other options on the second line include Daniel Carr, Charles Hudon, Andrew Shaw and Artturi Lehkonen. Some believe that Lehkonen  will crack the top-6 out of training camp after his performance during the SHL playoffs. We can only hope David Desharnais isn’t in the mix for that position.

In my opinion, the Habs management shouldn’t wait much longer to make an offer to Hudler, a player who, by the numbers, still has some gas left in the tank. He will provide increased scoring chances to the Habs top-6 for the 2016-2017 season.

What do you think Habs fans? Should the Montreal Canadiens be interested in Jiri Hudler?