Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau needs to return to the lineup

The oft-maligned winger has had a tumultuous season with the Canadiens, but it's become clear that the talented forward should probably be in the lineup.

Which player should he replace? Take your pick.

But why should he replace someone on the bottom-six?

That's a fair question. The Bombay charts simply demonstrate that he's leaps and bounds above some of the players receiving regular ice time. The reality, despite his low-scoring totals this season, Parenteau has always been a top-six player.  He's definitely not a bottom-six player. In fact, since the deadline he led the team in even-strength scoring per 60 minutes of ice time.

Despite his spotty use on the powerplay, only two forwards (Plekanec, Pacioretty) had more man-advantage goals than Parenteau this season, which is an added bonus considering how awful the Habs' powerplay success rate has been. Not to mention that his Corsi For against the Senators was 54% this season.

We can debate about the value of skill over grit until the cows come home, but when you have a quality player like Parenteau sitting in your press box while the team struggles to score, the in-house solution becomes clear.

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