The Montreal Canadiens are starting to show signs of desperation, to the point they started their Saturday night game vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins with Josh Anderson on the first line. Losing the Nov. 2 contest 3-1, the Canadiens predictably searched for scoring, ultimately getting their only marker from Christian Dvorak, his first of the season, ironically enough.
Now, Anderson has had a decent start to the season playing on a line with Jake Evans and Brendan Gallagher. They each now have five points in 12 games. So, in head coach Martin St. Louis’ defense, if you’re looking to shake things up, you probably are going to turn to someone on that line eventually.
However, it’s incredibly curious that you’d sooner turn to Anderson when Gallagher has four markers to the former’s two and has generally been more impressive. It might speak to the general consensus Gallagher’s production has dried up, despite the fact the underlying stats show he continues to drive possession relatively effectively. Or it might be the fact he continues to drive possession relatively effectively that St. Louis would prefer to distribute his stronger players in that regard evenly across the lineup, with Evans and Gallagher ranking four and fifth on the team in terms of Shot Attempt Percentage (46.2% and 45.6%).
Anderson with Suzuki and Caufield
Anderson is eighth (42.3%), according to stats on NHL.com, which actually ranks above top-liners Nick Suzuki (42.0%) and Cole Caufield (40.0%). So, from one perspective, starting Anderson where St. Louis did was worth a try. The only problem is, he’s tried it before again and again with similar results each time in past seasons. Anderson simply doesn’t complement them well and is a drag on their effectiveness.
Furthermore, if Anderson was third in that one stat on his previous line, which has been the Canadiens’ most-used unit this season, it kind of suggest he’s still the anchor he’s traditionally been over the last few years. Why play him with your two most productive players and take the risk the same will hold true one season later, when both Caufield and Suzuki are closer to their respective primes and Anderson is further away from his?
For some context, while the Evans-centred line has generally been effective, to the point the centre is technically been getting top-six ice time (16:32, fifth among forwards), the five points in 12 games the three players now have translate to a modest 34 points each over 82 games. The two goals Anderson, who at his peak with the Canadiens had been scoring over 20, now has puts him on pace for less than 14. Taking into account the small sample size and margin for error, he really hasn’t shown much to suggest beyond a reasonable doubt he’s a changed man from the player who scored just nine goals and 20 points in 2023-24.
It just makes no sense for St. Louis to go to that well again. You’re either hoping he gets Caufield, who co-leads the entire NHL with 10 goals, and Suzuki, who leads the team with 13 points, going? Or you’re hoping they rub off on him? When that hasn’t worked in the past? When it’s already been established Anderson is doing (just) okay with Evans and Gallagher?
Anderson No Longer a Viable Top-Six Option
Seriously, if Anderson is such a great offensive talent, and he has to his credit shown the capability to score in the past, you’d do better to simply put him on the power play. The fact St. Louis only has to the tune of seven seconds per game kind of suggests he already knows at least that’s a fool’s errand, with Anderson scoring a high of four power-play points during his Canadiens tenure, back in 2022-23, when he got a 1:42 on the man advantage.
The truly odd part is it’s not even the offense that is costing the Canadiens games. They scored three goals in their last game, a 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals. Over their last four, the Habs have healthily averaged over three goals per game. They had meanwhile given up 14 over their previous two games, both losses. So, tinkering with his forward lines, especially in this manner, while it is St. Louis’ prerogative as head coach, definitely shines a light on his questionable deployment decisions in the past. This isn’t just a one-off, but a trend, especially in terms of the apparent favourable treatment he’s shown Anderson.
Anderson is now 30. He’s not going to suddenly transform into a near-point-per-game forward when the most he’s ever scored is 47… six years ago with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The most he’s ever scored with the Canadiens is 32, albeit over 69 games. And, while he served as a decent offensive complement early on in his Habs tenue, he’s never been one to drive a line on his own. Furthermore, he’s unfortunately much closer to the 20-point player he was last season than the 20-goal one he was in earlier seasons in Montreal, far less removed from his aforementioned career season in 2018-19.
This Anderson experiment simply needs to end.
Related: Montreal Canadiens: Time to End Dale Weise Experiment
Anderson thankfully failed to finish the Penguins game on the top line. He instead did it on a line with Alex Newhook and Juraj Slafkovsky, though. That’s troubling. That line notoriously failed to gel last season, further begging the question what is going on in St. Louis’ head, continuing to return to combinations that have proven to be unsuccessful, when Anderson, Gallagher and Evans have been fine together.
Granted, “fine” isn’t “great,” but it’s kind of the best you’re going to get under current circumstances, when the entire team is struggling. More to the point, it’s the best you can objectively hope for out of a line with those three and the role they play. They’ve been doing the job expected out of them. And, while St. Louis’ job shouldn’t be at risk, he needs to do a better one of his. That doesn’t necessarily equate to more wins than losses this specific season, unfortunately. It does properly assessing your players’ limitations, though.
