Depth Trio Spearheading Canadiens Cup Run
By: Michael A. Chase Jr.
7/4/2021
The Montreal Canadiens despite being down 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Tampa Bay Lighting have already had an incredible postseason run. A lot of their success can be attributed to their resilience and system buy-in as a collective group. Along with performances from several under the radar players across their roster. Players that have elevated their games past previous expectations to lead Montreal’s charge. This piece will highlight three players that are far from household names but have starred for the Canadiens in their pursuit for a Cup. Analyzing their play and highlighting their notable contributions to Montreal’s postseason success.
The first player to discuss is Defenseman Joel Edmundson. A player who has become a steal of a trade acquisition from the Carolina Hurricanes for just a 5th round pick. While Edmundson’s counting stats are not eye-popping his impact on the ice is very evident. Edmundson has accumulated only 6 assists in 20 playoff games thus far for Montreal. Edmundson though has allowed Montreal to pair him with Jeff Petry, giving Petry the freedom to excel as an aggressive puck moving offensive defenseman. Allowing him to move up the ice and take calculated risks, with the assurance Edmundson being a stay at home defender will effectively cover for him. Edmundson has also brought another physical presence on Montreal’s back end. While being a minute’s eater as well playing the third most minutes per game for Montreal this postseason at 23:13. Edmundson has proven he can be a quality Top 4 defenseman, and should be a rock on Montreal back end going forward.
The second player to analyze is Right Winger Joel Armia, who has been a major piece of Montreal’s depth scoring and play style. Armia at the beginning of this postseason run was put with veterans Eric Staal and Corey Perry on Montreal’s 4th line and has flourished. He has been an exceptional penalty killer for the Canadiens this postseason. While scoring 2 shorthanded goals helping to create offense from defense. Armia has also provided a surprise scoring punch accumulating the second most goals for Montreal this postseason with 5. Meaning Armia has scored only 2 fewer goals in 19 playoff games, than he did in 41 regular season games. Showing Armia has elevated his game these playoffs to heavily aid Montreal’s run. Armia at still just 28-years-old has shown how valuable a player with his size and skillset can be to a team. Now with him set to be a free agent this offseason, he should gain many suitors due to his play.
The final player of this trio to discuss is a player whose play has earned more attention on the ice despite not scoring much. This player being Center Phillip Danault who thanks to his unreal postseason performance is quickly turning into a known commodity among evaluators and fans. While Danault only has 1 goal and 4 points his defensive performance as a shutdown center this postseason has been remarkable. The fact he is a -1 in plus/minus despite having to play against the top line of the opponent each night is impressive. He has been key in the faceoff dot for the Canadiens as he is winning 54.3% of his draws this postseason. Becoming the main option for huge defensive zone faceoffs constantly for Montreal. Having to deal with limiting the impact of players like Auston Matthews, Blake Wheeler, and Mark Stone to name a few is no small feat. Which is why Danault should be further praised for his efforts this postseason. Plus, he has come up with timely offense for Montreal, including assisting on the game winning overtime goal in Game 6 of the Conference Finals to send Montreal to the Cup Final. Showing Danault has offensive ability, but his true impact is felt on the defensive side of the game. Now he is due for a huge pay day from the Canadiens or whomever is willing to meet what money he should command as a free agent.
In the end the Canadiens run to the Cup Final would not have been possible without an all-around team commitment. Along with key players stepping up or elevating their games to aid the cause. These three players discussed here exemplify what Montreal has been about this postseason. Whether they win the Cup or not these players have shown well for themselves and should gain both financial and national recognition going into the eventual offseason.