CFN – The Gonchar trade has paid off dividends already. Still fitting in with his new squad the big Russian already has had an impact on the team playing over 15 minutes per night.
The power play has caught fire which was the main goal, but he has also shown some grit and helped stabilize the back end.
In the NHL there is always one goal, to win Lord Stanley’s Cup. Coaches and GM’s are hired and fired based on their ability to lead teams there.
While some very silly hockey people are lamenting about the development of youngsters Nathan Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi, both clearly had not played themselves in the teams confidence levels.(or matched Gonchar’s numbers so far) You also can never have enough depth so when you get a chance to get a player the caliber of Gonchar for a spare part you tend to grab it.
As you can see in the video below Gonchar not only takes out Detroit Power Forward Justin Abdelkader, but gets control of the puck and off the Habs are to the races again.
And this is why Montreal traded for Gonchar. To help score points.
In his first 3 games Gonchar has 2 assists, 7 shots on goal, 7 hits . Neither Tinordi or Beaulieu matched that this early season.
Montreal finds itself first in the league with 29 points and has improved its goal differential to +8 from the -8 it sat at over a week ago.
In the rare Sunday night match Montreal defeated a listless Detroit squad 4-1 with PK Subban getting a second goal in two nights. The star’s numbers have been down so far this season and he may be heating up .
Pacioretty is rumbling along with 16 points in 19 games. Plekanec has 15, Galchenyuk 13. Lars Eller has heated up and is starting to put up some numbers as well now that Rene Bourque is off his line.
Manny Malhotra is still looking for his first point as a Hab although his face off and PK work still are a factor in the team’s early success this season.
Alexei Emelin has gone cold as well as David Desharnais, PA Parenteau.
Dustin Tokarski didn’t show any rust in his win over the Wings. The more I watch Tokarski, the more I think he will be getting a starting job sooner rather than later, albeit not with the Habs. (unless Carey gets hurt)
In Hamilton Charles Hudon is leading the Bulldogs with 14 points in 15 games. Sven Adrighetto was benched one game for some attitude adjustment. He’s notched 12 points so far this season and is tied for the team lead with six goals. Former Avalanche Centre TJ Hensick is off to a strong start with 12 points in 15 games. The 29 year old centre offers Montreal a little bit of extra insurance down the middle.
1st Rounder Nikita Scherbak is off to a hot start with 23 in 14 games in the WHL. Michael McCarron has 24 points in 13 games for the London Knights of the OHL.
What do you think Habs fans? You can post your comments below.
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