Team: 2020-21 Montreal Canadiens

Initial Creation Date: Apr. 14, 2021

Published: Apr. 14, 2021

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

I don't think there are huge system issues, Ducharme needs to see that his lineup is not optimized.

Tatar - Danault - Anderson*

When the Danault line goes so do the habs. First order of business should be replacing Gallagher, the direct replacement should be Anderson - is this not obvious?

Drouin - KK - Armia*

Armia is a placeholder for Anderson until Gallagher returns. If it isn't working then go with Perry or Caufield.

Staal* - Suzuki - Toffoli

Staal is not working out at C, he is -7 in 6 games with MTL, however he is over 60% on faceoffs. He should be played with their worst faceoff center - Suzuki (44%). Staal is supposed to be a goal scorer, so maybe he will work with a playmaking C and MTL's best offensive winger, Toffoli. Also, these guys do not play with the pace needed to face top competition, which is why they should be line 3 where they can take advantage of favorable matchups. If Staal can't get going here then that's it, he should be scratched.

Byron / Lehkonen - Evans* - Perry

Evans is arguably MTL's best PK player, their best right handed faceoff guy, and he plays with energy and pace. There should be a spot for him in the lineup without a doubt. Also a thought on Perry, he has been MTL's best forward some nights, but this cannot continue. If MTL can't get their other players going they are done. Perry should not even be in this teams lineup when they are healthy - not because he isn't good but because so many players are underperforming. With Lehkonen and Byron the habs should be rotating these guys and demanding a lot from them - leave it all out there every shift.

Edmundson - Petry

No explanation needed.

Gustafsson* - Weber

Gustafsson might be able to spark something offensively here, 60 pts with Chicago two years ago is no fluke there is offense in his game - defense is the question but he should get a chance. If it doesn't work Kulak is fine here and Chiarot is coming back.

Romanov - Merrill*

Merrill has the inside edge to play RD with his track record from DET, but obviously there will be plenty of options.

PP1: Stack it
Kotkaniemi (L)
Drouin (L) - Toffoli (R) - Suzuki (R)
Petry (R)

PP2: Simplify it
Danault (L)
Weber (R) - Anderson (R) - Tatar (L)
Gustafsson (L)

These tweaks are pretty minor but minor tweaks can make all the difference, hockey is a game of inches and Ducharme needs to figure this out.

For example, the first CGY goal came off of 3 lost draws in a row by MTL. KK lost the first one, then Danault's line came out and he lost the next one. The faceoff then went to the other side and so Ducharme felt it necessary to change lines AGAIN and had Suzuki take the draw - the worst faceoff guy on the team. Well it ended up in MTL's net and the rest was history. First of all - Danault should not be taken off the ice so someone else can take a faceoff EVER. A veteran guy like him is not likely to lose two in a row, or lose clean at least. Second, if Evans was in the lineup Ducharme would have used him over Suzuki. Lastly, if Staal is on Suzuki's wing, then he is a better option to take the faceoff any time throughout the game, at least on the LH faceoffs. Small tweaks can lead to wins. MTL played an ok game, despite trailing for most of it. They hit two posts, they lost some key draws, and that's enough to change the outcome of a game. With a couple tweaks they might be able to create the bounces they need.

I believe the lack of consistency in MTL's game stems from having no chemistry. Ducharme just seems to be changing lines without purpose, hoping something sticks without looking at the big picture. At this point in the year players should be comfortable with their linemates - I don't see that at all with MTL right now.