The Montreal Canadiens are demonstrating increasing desperation, as evidenced by their decision to place Josh Anderson on the first line for their Saturday night matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins. After a 3-1 loss on November 2, the Canadiens sought scoring solutions, with Christian Dvorak notably providing their only goal, marking his first of the season.
Anderson has had a decent start this season while playing on a line with Jake Evans and Brendan Gallagher, with each player accumulating five points in 12 games. Therefore, in head coach Martin St. Louis’ defense, it makes sense to look for a shake-up by turning to players from that line. However, it’s puzzling that St. Louis would choose Anderson over Gallagher, who has scored four goals compared to Anderson’s two and has generally been more impactful. This may indicate a belief that Gallagher’s production has tapered off, despite underlying stats showing he still effectively drives possession. Alternatively, St. Louis might prefer to distribute his more effective players evenly throughout the lineup, as Evans and Gallagher rank fourth and fifth on the team in Shot Attempt Percentage.
Statistically, Anderson ranks eighth in Shot Attempt Percentage (42.3%), which places him above top line players Nick Suzuki (42.0%) and Cole Caufield (40.0%). Thus, starting Anderson in this role might have been worth a try, though it is important to note that it has been attempted multiple times in previous seasons with lackluster results. He often fails to enhance the effectiveness of Suzuki and Caufield.
Given that Anderson was successful statistically with Evans and Gallagher, it suggests he continues to perform as he has in recent years. It raises the question of why he would be placed with the team’s most productive players when he’s likely to have a negative impact, particularly as both Caufield and Suzuki approach their primes while Anderson is past his.
Adding context, while Evans’ line has been somewhat effective—averaging top-six ice time (16:32, fifth among forwards)—the collective five points in 12 games translates to a modest 34 points over an 82-game season. Anderson’s current two goals place him on track for less than 14, a far cry from the 20 he previously scored when he was at his best. Although the data is limited, there is little evidence that Anderson has evolved from the player who had a disappointing nine goals and 20 points last season.
For St. Louis to rely on Anderson again seems illogical. He either needs significant support from Caufield, who leads the NHL with 10 goals, and Suzuki, the team’s top point scorer with 13 points, or the hope that they might help elevate Anderson’s game, despite past failures to do so.
If Anderson has such offensive potential, it might be better to utilize him on the power play. Yet, the mere seven seconds he averages per game suggests St. Louis understands that this option is unlikely to yield positive results; Anderson’s highest power-play output came in the 2022-23 season with just four points.
Interestingly, the Canadiens’ offensive struggles are not the primary issue; they scored three goals in a recent 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals, averaging over three goals per game over the last four matches. In contrast, defensive shortcomings have led to 14 goals conceded in the prior two games. St. Louis’ line adjustments—especially those involving Anderson—raise concerns about his past deployment decisions and the apparent favoritism shown toward Anderson.
At 30, Anderson is unlikely to emerge as a near-point-per-game player when his best scoring seasons are behind him, with a peak of 47 points from six years ago. His best output with the Canadiens stands at 32 points over 69 games, and though he was a decent offensive option early in his tenure, he lacks the ability to lead a line. Currently, he seems closer to the 20-point player he was last season than to his earlier 20-goal self.
This Anderson experiment needs to come to an end. Fortunately for the Canadiens, he did not finish the game on the top line, instead playing with Alex Newhook and Juraj Slafkovsky—a combination that previously struggled. This raises further questions about St. Louis’ thinking, as he reverts to pairings that have not been successful when Anderson has previously performed acceptably with Gallagher and Evans.
While it’s true that “fine” is not synonymous with “great,” it represents the best outcome under challenging circumstances in which the team is faltering. Ultimately, St. Louis needs to do a better job managing his lineup, which may not guarantee more wins this season but will involve accurately assessing his players’ capabilities.
