Hockey

Points in the playoffs: surprisingly, it was the CH’s little players who led the club
Félix Forget
Points in the playoffs: surprisingly, it was the CH’s little players who led the club
Credit: Getty Images

The Canadiens' season came to an end last night against the Capitals. The Montreal team put up a good fight… but had to concede defeat to a much more mature team.

The CH was, after all, the youngest team in the current series. Seeing them give the Capitals a run for their money was already a good sign.

That said, there was a lot of talk about physical play in this series. The Caps shuffled the CH, which tried to defend itself… but struggled to do so.

As a result, for the past few days, everyone in Montreal has wanted the club to bulk up. And to a certain extent, what's happened in the last few days proves them right…

But when you look at the team's top scorers in the playoffs, what you notice is that Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield are the only two players with more than two points.

And no, we're not talking behemoths here: these are the two smallest players on the team.

(Credit: Screenshot/NHL.com)

It's true that both guys shine on the power play, which helps them (the game is less physical than it is 5-on-5, we agree), but in a series where the narrative has been that the Capitals have shuffled the Habs around too much (which is true), it's still the team's two smallest players who have blackened the scoresheet most frequently.

And that's a more nuanced way of looking at it: the CH does need to get bigger… but it shouldn't go to extremes either. Smaller players are still capable of making a difference, even in a series that's churning like crazy.

It's going to be a big summer for Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton, who will have to try and learn from what they've seen from their young group over the last few weeks. But there's a fine line to be drawn here: just because the game gets more physical in the playoffs doesn't mean that guys like Hutson and Caufield can't help the club win games, even if they need more physical guys to make the job easier.

Now it's up to management to find that balance… and it's going to be a very interesting summer for the CH.


In gossip

– David Savard, a real good guy.

– Of note.

– Nice read on the Avalanche.

– I can't wait to see if any CH players go… but I'd be surprised.

– News from Quebec's Abraham Toro.

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