There Montreal Canadiens forward Josh Anderson was. On the ice in the dying minutes, Anderson cleared a loose puck out of goalie Sam Montembeault’s crease as the Habs were preserving a 2-1 lead over the Detroit Red Wings, a lead Anderson himself gave them with a goal midway through the third.
Anderson proceeded to shovel it ahead, linemate Brendan Gallagher eventually shooting it into the empty net to help secure an eventual 4-1 victory in what was arguably the team’s biggest game of the season. So, to summarize, in one fell swoop the Canadiens both solidified their hold on the last Eastern Conference wild-card spot and all but eliminated the Wings.
Related: Canadiens Dash Red Wings’ Playoff Hopes with Crucial 4-1 Win
Had they lost in regulation, the Wings would have pulled within four points with four Habs games to go. It would have hardly been time for them to panic, but it’s still a hardly insurmountable lead all the same. In beating the Wings instead, the Habs find themselves eight points up, now sporting a 98.1% chance to make it instead (per MoneyPuck.com). And Anderson was right in the middle of all the action… a legitimate difference-maker by all objective accounts.
Anderson Regains Scoring Touch
It’s not the first time in recent weeks, either. So, a funny thing has happened to Anderson in that span. Amazingly, he seems to have finally developed consistency as a secondary contributor, after having been dropped down the lineup, as a result of management’s apparent acknowledgement he was miscast as a top-six forward upon his initial acquisition ahead of the 2020-21 season (when the Habs up reached the Stanley Cup Final).
Obviously, Anderson HAS contributed over the five seasons he’s been a Hab. After all, he’s regularly hit 20 goals and is the only Canadiens player to score a game-winner in the Stanley Cup Final since 1993. All that is undeniable. What is up for debate however is if he’s contributed in accordance with his $5.5 million cap hit. Seeing as he’s never scored more than 32 points in a season (a mark he reached twice, albeit only over 69 games each time), it’s hard to make a case to that effect, unless you’re content resting it on overall salarial inflation.
The fact is Anderson was damn near untradeable, if the Canadiens had designs on trading him, last season, when he ended up scoring just nine goals and 20 points in 78 games. His production this season (15 goals and 27 points) isn’t Earth-shattering, but, for the role he’s played, he’s healthily exceeded expectations. And, since March 18, he’s scored a significant seven points (five goals) in 11 games. It’s no surprise his linemates in Gallagher and Christian Dvorak have also upped their production levels since around then too.
Canadiens Ice a New Second Line
Over Gallagher’s last 12 games, he has six goals and 13 points, having just reached the 20-goal mark for the first time since before the pandemic. Over Dvorak’s last 13, he has five goals and 12 points, prompting some to suggest the Canadiens should even re-sign him as a pending unrestricted free agent (despite years of evidence to argue otherwise). All that to say, it’s ironic that all three, who had recently been on the outs with fans, have come together to effectively form what has for all intents and purposes become the second line.
That may not be shocking to anyone who’s watched Canadiens games recently, but a month ago many would have argued it wasn’t even the team’s third, below Jake Evans’ line on the depth chart. However, Alex Newhook has struggled at centre, just like his predecessor in the injured Kirby Dach. They both have failed to get power-play-merchant Patrik Laine to produce consistently at even strength, making it the team’s weakest link up front.
And, while the Evans line cooling off to the degree it has (significantly) shows success can be fleeting, the Dvorak line’s recent performance is faith-instilling that the Canadiens have the depth to compete (beyond the undisputed top line centred by Nick Suzuki). It’s a large reason why Anderson is now officially the team’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
Anderson for Masterton?
Now, just like Joel Armia last year, Anderson won’t win it. His is a story more of a modest bounce-back season than anything else. He simply can’t win when the award stands primarily for perseverance and dedication to the sport and candidates like Ottawa Senators forward David Perron, who returned from an extended absence to be with his family after the birth of his daughter was marred by multiple medical emergencies, exist.
However, the Jacques Beauchamp-Molson Trophy exists as an alternative, as voted on by members of the Montreal press and awarded to the team’s top unsung hero. As a result of Anderson’s recent heroics he’s in line to at least receive serious consideration. Of course, even that field is fairly stacked with Evans, Dvorak and Gallagher having arguably personified it just as much, if not more so.
This piece won’t make a case for Anderson to win it over any of them. It’s not that kind of column. However, it does serve as acknowledgement that Anderson has emerged as an impact player for the team. While lower expectations have played a role in his season being characterized as much of a success as it has, the Canadiens admittedly wouldn’t be where they are in the standings, on the verge of clinching an entirely unexpected playoff berth, without him.
Now, that objectively goes for many members of this team. So, that’s not as much of a ringing endorsement as some might choose to interpret, but it is an endorsement nevertheless, just not for the Masterton. If he wins the Beauchamp-Molson, that certainly wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Neither would it be if he stayed a Hab for the balance of his deal, which would have been a wholly unpopular opinion just one year ago.
That’s saying something, if only based on where he was that single year ago and where he is now, in the middle of the action on a regular basis (and producing in clutch moments all the while).
