Players to watch next season
Notre Dame product Evans also has the potential to surprise, Marc Dumont writes.
Despite the situation in which the Montreal Canadiens find themselves, one filled with uncertainty and a plethora of question marks, there are a few players who are primed for a breakout season in 2018-19.
Last season, we saw the perfect storm, including an endless stream of injuries, a complete meltdown on defence and multiple players who simply couldn’t score despite an abundance of opportunities.
But just as good luck can’t last forever, the same can be said about an incredible streak of bad luck. By taking a look at individual scoring chances in 2017-18, we can identify players who have the odds on their side when it comes to their projected output next season.
ARTTURI LEHKONEN
Coming off an impressive 18-goal rookie season, Lehkonen’s play was the epitome of frustration last year. No one can fault him for not trying hard enough or giving up on the team. It was simply the case of a player enduring half a decade’s worth of bad luck in one season. His shooting percentage was effectively cut in half.
But when we look a little closer at his numbers, Lehkonen’s season showed some promise. Despite injuries and a frustrating lack of finish on quality opportunities, Lehkonen, pro-rated to an 82-game season, scored 15 goals
More importantly, he was second on the team in individual scoring chances per 60 minutes of ice time and almost produced the same amount of high-danger shots as Brendan Gallagher.
When Lehkonen was on the ice, the Canadiens almost always controlled the play, which is illustrated by their 52.4 per cent shot advantage, 52.6 per cent scoring-chance advantage and 54.7 per cent high-danger shot advantage.
Any way you cut it, those are excellent numbers and when you combine them with his individual chances, it establishes Lehkonen as a player to watch next season.
Lehkonen is also a player who unanimously passes the eye test. His defensive prowess is undeniable and his work ethic is boundless.
CHARLES HUDON
In most cases, scoring 10 goals and adding 20 assists as a thirdliner during a rookie campaign would be seen as a successful entry into the NHL. But last season, Hudon left a lot of points on the table.
The potential for more is quite evident, not only because he finished as a top-five scoringchance producer on the team, but also owing to his evolving role.
He mostly played a shutdown role throughout the year with the majority of his time spent on a line with veteran stalwart Tomas Plekanec.
That speaks to his ability to play a solid defensive game while chipping in offence whenever possible. Much like Lehkonen, Hudon is a tireless worker who leaves everything on the ice, which endeared him to his coaches at every level.
Given the way the Canadiens roster has shaken out this summer, there’s a possibility that someone along the lines of Matthew Peca — who is more offensively inclined than Plekanec — or Jacob de la Rose might end up centring the third line. If that’s the case, expect Hudon to start cashing in with more frequency on his impressive individual scoring-chance numbers.
His shooting percentage was only 4.9 per cent last year, which leaves a lot of room for improvement if a little luck goes his way.
JAKE EVANS
The 22-year-old forward is my dark-horse pick for a player to watch next season, although it’s likely he’ll start his professional career with the AHL’s Laval Rocket rather than the Canadiens.
Evans had an encouraging NCAA career with the University of Notre Dame, increasing his productivity every season and culminating with Evans captaining the team to the Big Ten championship and landing on the first all-star team.
And though scoring at just over a point-per-game pace might seem somewhat unimpressive — considering the league in which he was playing is traditionally much lower scoring than other development leagues — it’s a very interesting amount of productivity.
When watching Evans play, there’s nothing that particularly stands out in his skill set, but there are also no obvious deficiencies. Essentially he’s a wellrounded player who has been heralded as incredibly smart by his coaches.
Given that he was a seventhround pick (No. 207 overall in 2014), the fact that we’re even discussing his professional hockey potential is already impressive.
Don’t expect him to tear up the NHL next year, but don’t be surprised if he establishes himself as one of the better players in Laval. Marc Dumont is an analyst and editor for The Athletic Montreal. Even-strength statistics courtesy of naturalstattrick.com