The Habs are facing a tough situation. They need to improve their offense output, yet they missed out on free agents like Justin Williams and Joel Ward. Two other interesting names were on the market, T.J. Oshie and Patrick Sharp, however they both found new homes in trades that kept them far from the Canadiens. Now all eyes turn towards the prospects, with the hope that one of them may perhaps provide the offensive jolt the Habs desperately need.
There’s a rather small group of players that could fit the bill, seeing as how Artturi Lehkonen, Martin Reway, and Lukas Vejdemo are going to stay in Europe next season.
That leaves the following players, that are slated to join the St.John’s IceCaps next season and therefore will probably get a longer look at the rookie camp; Nikita Scherbak, Charles Hudon, Tim Bozon, Michael McCarron, Sven Andrighetto, and Daniel Carr. There’s an outside shot that a player like Jeremy Gregoire or Daniel Audette gets a legitimate look, but it’s not very likely.
We can get a better idea of their production last season by calculating their NHL equivalency points. I used CHL stats for the prospects playing in the Canadian Hockey League, in order to be more accurate in relation to their age, and Behind the Net for the AHL formula. Just like in the CHL, age is very important when analyzing players in the AHL, but we’ll keep the equivalency formula at .44 to keep it simple. A stick tap goes out to PPP for the idea.
| Player | Age | GP | G | A | PTS | PPG | NHLe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikita Scherbak (WHL) RW | 18 | 65 | 27 | 55 | 82 | 1.26 | 26 |
| Tim Bozon (WHL) | 20 | 57 | 35 | 28 | 63 | 1.11 | 23 |
| Michael McCarron (OHL) C/RW | 19 | 56 | 28 | 40 | 68 | 1.21 | 29 |
| Sven Andrighetto (AHL) RW/C | 21 | 60 | 14 | 29 | 44 | 0.73 | 26.34 |
| Charles Hudon (AHL) C/LW | 20 | 75 | 19 | 38 | 57 | 0.76 | 27.5 |
| Daniel Carr (AHL) LW | 23 | 76 | 24 | 15 | 39 | 0.51 | 18.5 |
McCarron actually ended up with the highest NHL equivalency last season, followed closely by Hudon, and Scherbak. Scherbak and McCarron probably need some time in the AHL before joining the ranks. It’s worth noting that Hudon put together his fantastic season in the AHL at the tender age of 20.
Help wanted on the wings
The Habs are more or less set down the middle, especially since there doesn’t even seem to be a spot there available for Alex Galchenyuk. The pressing need is found on the wings, and while both sides are rather weak, it’s the left side that’s in the most dire state. On the right wing the Habs have Brendan Gallagher, Zack Kassian, Dale Weise, and Devante Smith-Pelly, whereas on the left side they have Max Pacioretty, a displaced Galchenyuk, and possibly Michael Bournival.
Take a look for yourself, it’s not an ideal depth chart by any means:
You could argue that Carr deserves the spot, based on his goal production last season, however I am more impressed by the offensive production from Hudon, who created almost as many goals, yet a much younger age. He’s versatile, in that he can play both down the middle and on the left wing, which is where the Habs need the most help. The transition to the NHL is never an easy one, and Hudon’s impressive rookie season in the AHL is hard to ignore. Of course, things can change, and Marc Bergevin has plenty of time to bolster his roster this summer, but as it stands Charles Hudon seems to be the best internal option the Habs have in their system.
