It’s no secret that the Montreal Canadiens’ power play (PP) isn’t very good. General manager (GM) Kent Hughes will need to help the team find some solutions. One obvious place to start is adding more skill to the roster, but maybe an addition behind the bench would also benefit the club.
Related: Canadiens Offseason Focus Should be on Trades Not UFAs
Sometimes, retired players who played an offensive role can come in and solve PP issues. Fans were talking about Andrei Markov, but Alexei Kovalev, perhaps the last player to reach a point per game in the Canadiens uniform, could help. He is also willing to leap back to the NHL from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), and he is very open about his desire to do so, specifically in Montreal.
“I would love it (coach in Montreal), but it would need to make sense for me. If they ask me to travel from one side of the country to the other to scout or look at prospects, I’m not a good candidate. I want to stay in a team environment and be on the ice with the players”
– Alex Kovalev
He has been working for the role, spending five years with the Kunlun Red Star, four as an assistant coach and one as head coach, and adding head coaching experience as the bench boss for China’s Olympic Games team in 2022. He has added two more years of coaching as an assistant with Spartak Moscow, where he remains under contract for one more season.
A Fit For the Canadiens?
Kovalev, who played in the NHL between 1992 and 2013, winning a Stanley Cup in 1994, explained in a separate interview what draws him to watch games. It is not the game itself, as it has changed since he last played, but he is enthralled with skilled players such as Evgeni Malkin and Connor McDavid. He explained how much fun it is for spectators to admire the creativity of these types of players.
He’s not entirely wrong in his view. Many teams rely on systems, such as the Los Angeles Kings’ 1-3-1 system. In defensive schemes like that, players do not get the opportunity to showcase their creativity because they cannot deviate from the plan. Otherwise, they risk leaving massive gaps to be exploited by their opponents.
In Montreal, Martin St. Louis is still developing his desired playing style, which seems to stem from how he played: open and creative offensively. This coming season will be the first in his tenure where expectations will be placed on the team’s ability to compete for the last playoff position. What that likely means is a more structured defensive scheme. St. Louis knows Kovalev from their days playing against each other but had never played together. While on paper, it seems the two coaches’ philosophies are similar, as both were offensive players, and both like to see their teams push the pace with speed and creativity, they still may not be a natural fit. However, there is a significant need to improve special teams.
Canadiens Power Play Woes
While the Canadiens penalty killing (PK) has had problems, it seemed to get back on track in the second half of the 2023-24 season once the team could deploy a full unit with their better defensive players. As much as the PK still has work to do, the PP would make a larger impact on the team’s final standing in 2024-25. Kovalev has experience with running a PP. He is currently employed with the KHL Spartak Moscow, and they sit third in that league with a 24.6% success rate. It isn’t the NHL, true, but the Canadiens’ PP recently has been abysmal. Their PP aggregate since 2021-22 (after the finals run and the start of the rebuild, to the end of 2023-24 is only 15.8%. Only the Philadelphia Flyers have a lower aggregate over that same time.
Montreal’s PP in 2023-24 was the best fans had seen since the Cup run. There were short bursts, two weeks at a time, where the Canadiens had a PP of 20 to 22%. It finished the season at 17.5%. Yet a PP sitting in the middle of the pack will be needed for a team to compete for a playoff spot or even have a chance to do so. The Nashville Predators were 16th in the NHL with a 21.6 % PP, four percentage points higher than Montreal. With Montreal scoring only 44 goals on the PP, with the same unit, led by Nick Suzuki, in 2023-24 and the same rate of penalties drawn it would give them 10 more PP goals. Ten goals may not seem like much, but that would put them on par with the highly touted offense of the Buffalo Sabres.
Kovalev hasn’t developed any revolutionary styles; his club employs the 1-3-1 system Montreal already uses. It is his more modern approach to the mental side of the game that could help as he, like St. Louis, encourages creativity while being willing to forgive some mistakes. Also, he believes that controlled zone entries will allow for more opportunities. It’s no secret that puck possession is a key component to winning teams for a game as fast as hockey, making those zone entries essential to improve the team’s chances with the extra attacker.
For Kovalev, re-joining the Canadiens would help right a wrong in his eyes. He admits he left the team far too early, refusing the Canadiens’ offer to go to the Ottawa Senators over a matter of $500,000. He attributes this decision to his rapid decline and subsequent retirement. While it is possible that he can fit into St. Louis’ staff as he shares many of the same visions of how hockey should be played, that may not be enough. He needs to fit into the culture being built in Montreal now. If he can, then it’s possible he would be a good fit. Hughes must ensure he doesn’t make a mistake and hire the wrong man for the job to create buzz in the city. If Kovalev can adjust to the Canadiens, then he has a chance to fulfill his desire to coach in Montreal; if not, well, it’s nice to know that the city still holds a special place in his heart.
