by Michael Ham-Fan, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine
MONTREAL, QC. – Max Pacioretty‘s offensive production is irreplaceable. In fact, his 37 goals represent nearly 18 per cent of the Montreal Canadiens’ goal scoring this season. If he isn’t ready for the start of the playoffs, in a week, then it would be a huge blow to the Canadiens offensive production and real test of character for the whole team.
#Habs Pacioretty saw the team doctor today and will not play the next two games. He will be re-evaluated next week.
— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) April 8, 2015
With his status still unclear, let’s see some of the options head coach Michel Therrien will have to try and compensate for some of the lost offensive talent. First off, the main production will have to come from guys that are expected to contribute. They will have to elevate their games if Pacioretty isn’t fully healthy, because with an injury that looked serious this late in the season, the Habs forward will probably not be at his full health even in a possible comeback.
La Presse journalist Richard Labbé had this to say about Pacioretty after he talked with Marc Bergevin on Tuesday morning:
#Habs Pacioretty not looking too good this am; had a long talk with GM M.Bergevin before boarding team bus.
— Richard Labbé (@Richardlabbe) April 7, 2015
If his report is true, then the Habs will have to work as a team to produce more offense. Luckily for them, their style of play this season has been based on defensive structure, and in that way, they will still be able to play their game. That said, Pacioretty was the one running the offense, permitting the Habs to have a lead to defend on all season long.
Although it will need the whole team to raise their level of play, here are a few players that will have a bigger offensive load than usual in the eventuality that Pacioretty misses time:
Alex Galchenyuk: Galchenyuk has had a decent season with 20 goals and 26 assists in 78 games, but he has yet to develop into that top elite talent that the Habs’ organization expects of him when they drafted him 3rd overall in the 2012 draft. His play has lacked consistency in certain periods of the season and the American forward has only two goals in his last 20 games. If Max Pacioretty needed more time to recover from his injury, Alex Galchenyuk will have to contribute more on the offense because the Habs are going to need it. He obviously has the talent to produce more, but for him, it is a question of experience and drive. Galchenyuk has to show that he wants to be a bigger part of this team’s offense.
Tomas Plekanec: Hypothethically, the absence of Max Pacioretty would mean that this is Tomas Plekanec’s offense. The Czech centre has 24 goals and 34 assists in 78 games this season, ranking him second, just behind Pacioretty in points. The 31-year old has been known for his defensive prowess but he will also need to have a good performance on the offense this off-season. He will need to use that deceptive wrist shot of his more often if the Habs need more goal scoring. Plekanec is one of the biggest leaders on the team, and he will be looked upon to step up his game.
Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau: Ever since his reinsertion in the lineup in early March, he has accumulated seven points in 13 games and has been producing very good scoring chances for his line-mates, an ability for which he is known. It can be argued (if you are not Patrick Roy) that Parenteau, when healthy, is a legitimate top-six forward on this Canadiens team. In my opinion, the right-winger has one of the best on-ice vision of all the Habs forwards and his production will be very important, especially on the power-play.
Other players like Brendan Gallagher, Lars Eller, David Desharnais and the whole defense-core will also have to support the main offensive contributors.
Also, a growing trend in recent years, NHL teams have introduced rookies in their line-up near playoff time and some even made their NHL debut in the playoffs. Here are a few long shots to add some offense in the Habs lineup if it comes to that.
Charles Hudon: Currently second in the AHL scoring race with 55 points in 70 games, Charles Hudon has had a very productive first season in the pros. He is the player who has shown the best consistency on offense this season in Hamilton. He has very good hands to go with excellent skating, assets that would help the Habs’ offense. The Habs have possibly restrained themselves from calling up Hudon for him to get a full season of professional hockey before giving him a legitimate chance next season, but if offense becomes a need on the big club, Hudon might get a call. The only question mark is his size as Hudon is a gritty player but not overly big. Putting him in the playoffs might be hard for him to handle.
Sven Andrighetto: Andrighetto has shown earlier in the season, in his first call-up from Hamilton, that he has good offensive tools. He might have the purest offensive skill set with the Bulldogs. He has had a good season in the AHL with 41 points in 54 games. The young Swiss has a very lethal shot that reminds you of ex-Hab Mike Cammalleri‘s release. If the Habs are looking for a sniper type forward, then Andrighetto should be the call-up. The downside is that he does not excel in the defensive side of the ice.
Daniel Carr: A long shot of long shots. A year ago, Carr was still playing in the NCAA. He was signed in the summer by the Montreal Canadiens and has impressed with the Bulldogs. Hamilton head coach Sylvain Lefebvre even compared him to Brendan Gallagher. Carr leads the Bulldogs and the AHL rookie race with 22 goals and has been absolutely on fire for the second half of his first professional season. If you’re looking to add scoring and hard work on an emergency basis, Carr is your guy.
Bottom point is, there is no one in the current organization that is going to replace Pacioretty’s production. Despite what Habs fans would want, if Pacioretty is out for an extended time with an injury, it would probably mean that the Canadiens will play an even more certain and safe defensive system. They will very probably look at their defense to step up before they think about any offensive reinforcement.
Sources:
NHL.com
HockeyDB.com
