by Ryan Skilton, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine
PHILADELPHIA, PA. – Patrick Roy may have been right.
When the Montreal Canadiens first acquired P.A. Parenteau from the Colorado Avalanche on June 30, 2014, it caught the hockey world by surprise. Were the Habs really getting a fifth-round draft pick and a top-six forward for Daniel Briere? The trade was definitely a bit confusing at the time, but the Avalanche were just itching to offload Parenteau, and the Canadiens are slowly starting to see why that was now.
When it was announced the Habs had traded for the 31-year-old right-winger, stories began to surface about Parenteau’s strained relationship with Colorado head coach Patrick Roy. The two went through a few growing pains and never quite saw eye-to-eye during their time together in the mile-high city. Parenteau’s inability to stay healthy frustrated Roy and the veteran slowly saw his role limited and ice time decreased as 2013-14 wore on. By the end of the season, it became inevitable Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic was going to deal Parenteau.
Back in June, Roy said he never saw Parenteau as a top-six forward, and he never would’ve been given the chance to become one in Colorado — a big reason why the Quebec native was traded to the Canadiens in the first place.
It was a bold statement, and something Parenteau didn’t take too kindly to. Prior to a game against the Avalanche in October, Parenteau said Roy’s evaluation of him as a player was well off the mark and he has — and assumingly continues to have — every intention of proving him wrong.
“He’s entitled to his opinion, and that’s not to say I respect it,” said Parenteau, according to La Presse. “His opinion is not the truth. For me, this is definitely a source of motivation, without a doubt. He (Roy) is not a God, and he did not invent hockey either.”
Now, Patrick Roy can say some pretty outlandish things at times, and he certainly didn’t invent hockey, but he may have hit the nail on the head with this one.
Since the trade, the player the Habs thought they were getting has not surfaced. Parenteau has just six goals and five assists in 29 games. He’s on pace for just 31 points in 2014-15, which would be the right-winger’s lowest point-per-game pace since his 2009-10 rookie season with the New York Rangers.
The concerning part is Parenteau has been given more than his share of opportunities to produce. Not only has he seen ample power play time, but he has also had the privilege of playing a good chunk of the season on the first line alongside Max Pacioretty and David Desharnais.
[table id=5 /]
Being on the top line comes with its share of perks, but perhaps the biggest advantage of being put on a scoring line is the offensive opportunities that come with it. As you can see in the table above, Parenteau has the third-highest offensive zone start percentage on the team. In other words, he’s been put in an offensive role with easy minutes at even strength (5-on-5 hockey), as opposed to a guy like Manny Malhotra, who draws much tougher minutes (less than 20 percent of starts in offensive zone).
With ice time like this — and playing with an elite NHL sniper like Pacioretty — it’s reasonable to expect consistent point production. But that has not been the case with No. 15. Even with the sheltered zone starts, and the countless offensive chances, Parenteau has produced at an unacceptable rate for a supposed top-six forward and, like in Colorado, has quickly found himself demoted to the third line (if you can call that a demotion).
When running the even-strength numbers for the Canadiens, Parenteau’s points-per-60 average 5-on-5 is not impressive. Among forwards with at least 20 games played, he ranks lower than Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher, Dale Weise, Alex Galchenyuk, Lars Eller, Tomas Plekanec, Jiri Sekac, Brandon Prust and David Desharnais. That puts Parenteau 10th on a team that isn’t exactly known for scoring.
Parenteau’s 98.34 PDO indicates he hasn’t been particularly lucky relative to his teammates, but that doesn’t even come close to justifying his lack of production more than a third into the season.
Parenteau was also acquired to bolster the power play, as he possesses an impressive ability to see the ice and is said to be among the better passers in the league. But we just haven’t seen that from him yet. The 31-year-old has two goals and no assists in nearly 60 minutes of power play time this season. Of the players that have seen time on the man advantage, Parenteau ranks second-last among Habs forwards and defensemen in average points per 60.
The defensive side of things is not much better. Montreal’s goal differential at even strength is significantly better with Parenteau off the ice than on. The veteran right-winger’s speed, or lack thereof, makes him ineffective on the backcheck. Parenteau has also never been deployed shorthanded, which indicates Michel Therrien does not trust his defensive instincts; or, at least, trusts others’ more than his.
The silver lining in all this is the Canadiens offloaded a player they had absolutely no use for in Daniel Briere, and they received a draft pick to sweeten the deal. That makes this trade quite tolerable. In fact, the trade had the makings of a steal, but Parenteau’s play has only put a damper on that, and with another year left on his contract, it may only end up being an average trade when all is said and done.
If there’s one thing Parenteau has brought to the table, it’s his clutch performances in the shootout. But if all Parenteau brings to the Habs is an impressive shootout resume, can he really be considered a top-six forward?
As Patrick Roy would likely put it, he can’t.