A little cheer and positive in this challenging season for the Habs!
Fanadiens.com bloggers have achieved a top-5 of the CH's top players in this very difficult 2021-2022 season.
Even in the most difficult moments, we can see a lot of positive things.
These individuals have attracted attention for many reasons this year.
One of the great surprises of the Habs' 2021-2022 season is the holding of young Russian defenseman Alexander Romanov. Since he was set aside on November 2, it is literally not the same.
He plays big hockey in defensive territory, in addition to being used in profusion on the penalty kill. He found a stability in his game, he who only takes insurance over the games.
Like all young defenseman, he makes mistakes, but he does more good than harm since his purgatory. The best is yet to come in his case. It may not be a scoring machine at the moment, with six points in 30 parts, but it's only a matter of time before it unblocks for good.
He is not the most involved in terms of effort and work ethic, it is not really part of his identity. However, number 73 knows how to produce offensively. He is currently the second-ranked scorer for the Canadiens with 17 points in 26 games.
He didn't score as much as last year, but his offensive contribution was colossal to Dominique Ducharme's squad. Just imagine if he wasn't there... After all, he delivers the goods, even if he's not very well surrounded.
3. Ben Chiarot
With the absences of Shea Weber and Joel Edmundson, in addition to the lack of poise in the game of Jeff Petry, number 8 was called to lift his game from a few steps. He answered the call. The large-bodied defenseman is on mission this season, he who is used to all sauces, including on the first unit of the power play.
He has only accumulated seven points in 31 games, but his contribution is much more important than that. He applies the small details on the rink with flying colors. His presence is vital in the formation these days. A true stallion.
2. Nick Suzuki
The young rising CH star is currently on the first step of his team's pointers with 18 points in 31 games.
Under the current circumstances, that's more than respectable. We've been asking a lot of Nick Suzuki since Phillip Danault left. He is sent into the fray in all situations, which represents a huge step in his hockey development.
Despite all these new challenges and responsibilities, it is always there. He is the best forward of the CH currently and he will be for a long time.
Remember that he is only 22 years old...
1. Jake Allen
Despite his unenviable statistics this year, the best player in the CH right now is number 34. He maintained a 3.10 goals-against average and accumulated a 0.903 save percentage and amassed five wins in 23 games.
However, let us consider that Jake Allen is bombarded with all the senses at every game, because the CH's defense is nebulous. He gets a lot of dangerous shots and he constantly makes sensational saves to keep his team in the game.
If there is one member of the organization who was supposed to take his game one step further this year, it is him. Like last year, he had a mandate to wear Carey Price's shoes, which is a very heavy task. In any event, I think under the current circumstances he could afford to say «mission accomplished».
Honourable Mentions: Jonathan Drouin, David Savard and Josh Anderson
