Now that the Montreal Canadiens have concluded their second full season of rebuilding, it’s time to delve deeper into the organization’s overall direction.The ‘State Of The Rebuild’ series will analyze various aspects, such as current NHL roster talent, prospect potential, draft assets, trade activity, coaching effectiveness, contract situations, and management decisions.Today, we’ll focus on assessing the performance of the defensemen currently active in the NHL lineup.
There has been considerable talk about the Canadiens’ defensive improvements over the past few seasons. Parting ways with players like Ben Chiarot and Joel Edmundson has been beneficial, allowing the team to allocate crucial ice time to players integral to their long-term rebuilding strategy.David Savard and Mike Matheson remain as the veteran presence, but it’s worth noting they may have been overburdened this season. Savard is ideally suited for a third-pairing role, while Matheson’s optimal position would be within the top four, albeit not as the most heavily relied upon defenseman.
Player usage is a crucial factor in evaluating the performance of the eight defensemen who logged over 200 minutes of ice time at 5v5 for the Canadiens this season.For instance, Arber Xhekaj primarily played on the third pairing with occasional shifts on the second pairing. Conversely, Kaiden Guhle was predominantly utilized in the top four, often seeing significant minutes on the top pairing.
It’s important to acknowledge the Montreal Canadiens’ defensive struggles. They ranked fifth in shots allowed per game, third in expected goals against per game, and fifth in high-danger chances against per game.In essence, they ranked among the league’s weakest teams in various defensive metrics.
However, thanks to solid goaltending, they managed a mid-range position in goals against, finishing 15th overall in the NHL.Relying heavily on goaltenders to mitigate defensive lapses can be precarious.This isn’t to diminish Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau’s contributions, but successful teams typically don’t rely solely on their goaltenders for success.While a strong goaltender is crucial, it’s futile if the defensemen in front of them struggle to control play.
Montreal Canadiens Defencemen – Expected Goals Percentage: To gauge the defensemen’s performance more accurately, we can assess their expected goals percentage (xGF%). This metric indicates which team is expected to score more goals when specific players are on the ice.Last season, the Canadiens controlled just over 46.4% of the expected goals, providing a baseline for evaluating the defensemen’s effectiveness.
