The New York Islanders face the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, Dec. 3 in a game that both teams need to essentially save their seasons. The two teams are similar, near the bottom of the standings, and playing bad hockey, especially on the offensive end of the ice. If you thought the Canadiens averaging only 2.83 goals per game was bad, well, the Islanders average only 2.56 goals per game.
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One notable difference between the two teams is on the defensive end of the ice. The Islanders’ defense had its struggles but it’s stepped up as they allow only 2.96 goals per game. The Canadiens, on the other hand, are a mess on defense, allowing 3.74 goals per game. The contrast between the two teams is in part because of how general managers (GMs) Lou Lamoriello and Kent Hughes have operated, not just recently but since taking over their organizations.
Lamoriello Keeps Adding to the Unit
The Islanders lost Devon Toews and Nick Leddy in the 2020 and 2021 offseasons but since then, Lamoriello has only added to the defense one way or another. In the 2022 offseason, he acquired Alexander Romanov during the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, a trade that ironically enough ties into how the Canadiens think as well about the position. The move paid off big time for the Islanders as Romanov’s been one of the best defensemen on the team since joining.
It’s not just the Romanov addition. Lamoriello has added and kept key defensemen on the unit with the hopes of it remaining a strength. He extended Scott Mayfield in the 2023 offseason and in the middle of the 2023-24 season, he added Mike Reilly to the lineup. Reilly is out indefinitely but was a key part of the playoff push last season. Mayfield meanwhile had a 2023-24 to forget but is one of the reasons the defense is a strength this season.
The overall additions have kept the defense from falling apart. Sure, the unit isn’t great or one of the best in the league and the lack of a scoring presence always leaves the team a step behind the top one, but it’s good enough to limit opponents and win low-scoring games.
Hughes Keeps Trading Blue Chip Defensemen
The Canadiens are in a rebuild and have been since the 2021-22 season but some moves Hughes has made have set them further back, especially on the defensive end of the ice. It starts with the Romanov trade as they moved on from a stay-at-home defenseman integral to success. To be fair, the move made sense at the time. It gave them a young center in Kirby Dach and they also had a surplus of young defensemen on the way, making Romanov expendable.
The same can be said about the Johnathan Kovacevic trade this offseason. In a vacuum, the deal was good for them as they had the skaters to replace the 27-year-old. Hughes doubled down on the young group when he traded Jordan Harris, a 24-year-old depth defenseman in the offseason as well, a player who was part of the deal to acquire Patrik Laine.
Add it all up and the Canadiens are left with a young defense that isn’t playing great. Sure, the growing pains from some prospects are expected but outside of Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, and veteran Mike Matheson, the unit has played poorly. Romanov, Kovacevic, and Harris, the trio of blue-chip defensemen Hughes traded in recent seasons, have combined for 6.5 defensive point shares this season and the Canadiens having them in their lineup would have made them a playoff-caliber team if not better.
The Downside of Lamoriello’s Moves
The Islanders have not seen a drop in the defense since the Barry Trotz years. Last season, they allowed 3.15 goals per game but that came from the first-half mess that stemmed from Lane Lambert’s coaching style and the unit dramatically improved once Patrick Roy was hired. Last season was also the only one since 2017-18 that the Islanders allowed 3.00 goals per game or more in a season.
The defense has played well but there are a lot of bad contracts attached to it. Mayfield, Adam Pelech, and Ryan Pulock all have no-movement clauses attached to their contracts, and while Pulock leads the team with 3.5 defensive point shares and Mayfield is having a bounce-back season, the trio has declined with age. On top of that, the defense can look stale and play poorly for stretches, leaving the Islanders flailing in the standings with little room for improvement.
It leads to the other issue. Lamoriello adds to the unit but whenever he brings in a defenseman, they have a low ceiling and high floor. The defensemen don’t put the offense over the top and while they can help the Islanders make the playoffs, they aren’t capable of leading them on a playoff run.
Where the Canadiens’ Moves Can Pay Off
The Canadiens are seeing the downside of moving on from reliable defensemen. At the same time, the young skaters that are getting their ice time can develop into stars. Hutson in particular has shown flashes at both ends of the ice and can lead the unit as one of the best young defensemen in the game. The young skaters will need time before they are great and the growing pains will be there but over time, they will make the defense great.
The question is what will happen with Matheson and David Savard, two veterans on the unit who are taking away valued ice time from the younger skaters. Ideally, Hughes trades them to allow the young skaters to take on bigger roles, but it would have this team falling into the same trap they’ve fallen into in the past offseasons. It’s a risk but one the Canadiens might take again.
The Canadiens have seen the prospects and youth at the forward position take significant strides in recent seasons. The problem is that defense takes time and prospects need to adapt to the NHL game and play at the pro level long enough to acclimate to the speed and skill that the forwards possess. When the Canadiens’ defensemen start to find their footing at the NHL level, the unit will become one of the best in the league.
