Stu Cowan: Canadiens a number of methods to spice up offence: Hughes

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I used to be chatting with TVA Sports activities reporter Anthony Martineau throughout a latest Canadiens apply in regards to the crew’s issues on offence.

“It’s loopy,” he mentioned. “In my lifetime, the Canadiens have by no means had a 100-point participant.”

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Martineau, an excellent and hard-working reporter who’s in his first yr on the Canadiens beat, is 29 years outdated.

The final Canadiens participant to report 100 factors in a season was Mats Naslund in 1985-86, when he posted 43-67-110 totals to complete eighth in NHL scoring. The Canadiens gained the Stanley Cup that season. That’s one thing else Martineau has by no means skilled in Montreal.

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Throughout Martineau’s lifetime, the Canadiens have had just one point-per-game participant — Alex Kovalev, who posted 35-49-84 totals in 2007-08 — and so they have by no means had a 40-goal scorer. The final Canadien to attain 40 targets was Vincent Damphousse in 1993-94.

A scarcity of offence — particularly from the forwards — continues to be an enormous downside for the Canadiens. Nick Suzuki was main the crew in scoring heading into Monday’s sport towards the Colorado Avalanche with 12-23-35 totals in 42 video games.

When GM Kent Hughes met with the media for his midseason information convention Monday morning I requested him how vital it’s to search out one other Naslund or Kovalev in his rebuilding plan.

“I don’t actually consider it when it comes to a point-per-game participant,” Hughes mentioned. “I do hear that so much on this market.”

Hughes famous that former Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron — a participant the GM represented throughout his days as a participant agent — by no means had greater than 79 factors in a season, however will probably be a first-ballot Corridor of Famer.

After his information convention was over, Hughes did some extra analysis and when he spoke with me later famous that when the Bruins gained the Stanley Cup in 2011 their main scorer was Milan Lucic with 30-32-62 totals. He added that when the Los Angeles Kings gained Stanley Cups in 2011 and 2014 they didn’t have a point-per-game participant. Anze Kopitar led the Kings in scoring each seasons with 76 and 70 factors, respectively. When the St. Louis Blues gained the Cup in 2019 they didn’t have a point-per-game participant and neither did the Vegas Golden Knights final yr, though Jack Eichel did have 66 factors in 67 video games.

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“Pay attention, we’re on the lookout for gamers that may assist us,” Hughes mentioned throughout his information convention. “Are we trying so as to add offence to this group? Yeah, no query about it. We’re speaking about our D group and having lots of depth and making an attempt to rebalance the ledger — and if we’re ready to do this and both use younger gamers that we’ve that we really feel there’s only a logjam able or draft picks — and we’ve accrued lots of draft picks … we’ve acquired 22 picks over the subsequent two years. Do I anticipate that we’ll use all 22? In an ideal world, no. In an ideal world, we’ll use a few of these picks (in trades), as we’ve executed up to now, to get a (Kirby) Dach, a (Alex) Newhook. As we proceed to maneuver ahead, we’ll have extra monetary flexibility below the cap to judge this.”

As somebody who grew up in Montreal, Hughes understands the frustration of followers of a franchise that had the likes of Man Lafleur, Maurice Richard and Jean Béliveau not having a star offensive participant in such a very long time. He added that if the Canadiens had gained the draft lottery final yr, one might have fallen into their lap in Connor Bedard.

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“While you have a look at what we’re doing, we don’t have that 100-point participant,” Hughes mentioned once we spoke after his information convention. “However with extra depth offensively … like when you took Suzy and put him in Tampa taking part in between (Nikita) Kucherov and (Steven) Stamkos, do I believe he’s a point-per-game participant? All day lengthy. For those who put him with (Boston’s David) Pastrnak, is he a point-per-game participant? All day lengthy.”

If linemate Cole Caufield can begin scoring extra typically, that might additionally assist Suzuki.

“I believe groups generate offence some extra by committee and a few based mostly on pure expertise,” Hughes mentioned after his information convention. “I believe as we proceed to construct this crew we’ve to have a look at a wide range of choices to find out how can we go about producing offence. Does that participant hit the free-agent market? Not typically. If he does, clearly we’ve to think about that.”

For now, Hughes is trying extra at offence by committee. He famous that some point-per-game gamers don’t deliver lots of total worth due to extreme shortcomings in different elements of their sport.

“We don’t have a coach who’s trapping within the impartial zone,” Hughes mentioned about Martin St. Louis. “That ought to communicate to what we’re making an attempt to do right here when it comes to how we construct our crew. However there’s additionally the fact of how that performs out.”

As for the Canadiens ever getting a 100-point participant throughout Martineau’s lifetime, the TVA Sports activities reporter mentioned: “Perhaps someday. You by no means know.”

scowan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/StuCowan1

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