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This topic has been pretty polarizing lately, so I’m curious as to what people think about this: Which power play unit should Patrik Laine be deployed on this season – and why?
I’d be fine with him playing on PP2…and honestly, I think the more important thing is for him to start contributing more offense 5×5.You can hear the deep-dive version of mine & Rick Stephens’ thoughts about it on the latest Canadiens Connection podcast from the past weekend…but we’ll pick some great responses from this thread to read on next week’s show, too, so let us know your thoughts on Laine!
They have little to lose, so I have an out-of-the-box type of an idea.
Was the PP better than it was in 22–23 or 23–24?
Yes, in a way. Their PP percentage was higher, and in the end, that’s all that matters. But: they actually created less scoring chances than they did in 23–24.
Laine and Caufield’s very high shooting percentages helped quite a bit, and it’s possible that next year, the Habs will score less goals on the PP than they did this year, if they keep playing the same way.
That could be the case even with Laine playing all the 82 games and Caufield getting shot attempts out of himself on his usual rate instead of this season’s very low rate.
So why not just blow it up completely?
We know that they’ve been using the same PP formation as almost every NHL team uses, the 1-3-1 formation with Slafkovský in front of the net, Laine, Caufield and Suzuki in the middle and Hutson on the blueline.
With the new acquisitions they have, they could have a chance to try something completely new with the first unit. The second unit can still play with the old formation.
I suggest that instead of 1-3-1, the first unit should try the so-called overload formation, in which (in this case) they pack their entire unit on the left side of the offensive zone.
Demidov positions himself close tho the goal line and is ready to make plays from behind the net.
Suzuki is near the left faceoff circle to feed passes to every direction.
Behind him on the blueline, is one of the best perimeter shooters in the world, Patrik Laine.
The other blueliner is, of course, Lane Hutson.
And the last piece is the left-handed shooter they just acquired, Zachary Bolduc, whose job is to make space for himself between the faceoff dots and wait for Suzuki and Demidov’s passes.
This kind of formation opens up possibilities to change it on the fly and make the PP really move; when Demidov has the puck down low, they overload, when Hutson has it on the blueline, they can widen it up by moving Laine to his usual spot and Bolduc to the same spot on the opposite side.
No, they wouldn’t have the big net-front presence in the first unit, but if you look at the goals they scored this season, in how many of those the net-front player played an irreplaceable role?
No, Caufield wouldn’t be on the first unit, because Laine is the better shooter of the two, but doesn’t a unit with Caufield, Slafkovský and Dobson sound like a decent PP anyway?
And no, this isn’t likely to happen, because I don’t see a reality in which Caufield doesn’t play with the first unit. But it’s something I would personally try.
I left the numbers out of my original post, but here they are, just in case:
Laine, Caufield, Gallagher and Heineman scored 33/47 (70%) of the Canadiens’ PP goals this season. Their respective shooting percentages were 23.8, 23.8, 31.3 and 30, which all ranked in the best 25% among the forwards who played at least 50 minutes of PP. That’s likely not sustainable.
This season, the Habs in total scored 7.3 goals per 60 minutes on PP. In 23–24, they scored 6.4. In terms of scoring chances, they had 7.1 expected goals and 44.9 scoring chances per 60 minutes this season, while the same numbers in 23–24 were 7.1 and 51.6.
The effect of better finishing and/or shooting luck shows quite clearly here. It also seems that the effect of Alexandre Burrows running or not running the PP might be a little exaggerated.
Source: NaturalStatTrick
Well we always encourage thinking outside the box! And moving Caufield to PP2 is definitely that! There’s been some uproar this offseason with suggestions of moving Laine off of the top unit, I can’t imagine the fan reaction if Caufield was to be bumped off the first wave 🙂 As you say, likely not to happen, but you’ve laid out a good case and considered how to use some of Hughes’ new pieces he picked up this summer as well. The problem is, can MSL get out of his own way and think outside the box, too?
Well we always encourage thinking outside the box! And moving Caufield to PP2 is definitely that! There’s been some uproar this offseason with suggestions of moving Laine off of the top unit, I can’t imagine the fan reaction if Caufield was to be bumped off the first wave As you say, likely not to happen, but you’ve laid out a good case and considered how to use some of Hughes’ new pieces he picked up this summer as well. The problem is, can MSL get out of his own way and think outside the box, too?
with the additions of Demidov and Dobson to the mix, MSL is gonna have some very interesting options to play around with… while I agree with HabsFinn that the shooting % that some guys had last year on the PP is likely unsustainable, they should be able to have two very effective powerplay units that don’t necessarily require such high ratings. I’m not sure what the exact composition of both units will be but fans shouldn’t be appalled if Caufield for example is placed on the 2nd unit, the point is to have the most chemistry and generate as many scoring chances as possible, so if having him there results in having a more effective powerplay, then everyone should be happy about it (although I think he’ll remain on the first wave lol).
Well we always encourage thinking outside the box! And moving Caufield to PP2 is definitely that! There’s been some uproar this offseason with suggestions of moving Laine off of the top unit, I can’t imagine the fan reaction if Caufield was to be bumped off the first wave As you say, likely not to happen, but you’ve laid out a good case and considered how to use some of Hughes’ new pieces he picked up this summer as well. The problem is, can MSL get out of his own way and think outside the box, too?
with the additions of Demidov and Dobson to the mix, MSL is gonna have some very interesting options to play around with… while I agree with HabsFinn that the shooting % that some guys had last year on the PP is likely unsustainable, they should be able to have two very effective powerplay units that don’t necessarily require such high ratings. I’m not sure what the exact composition of both units will be but fans shouldn’t be appalled if Caufield for example is placed on the 2nd unit, the point is to have the most chemistry and generate as many scoring chances as possible, so if having him there results in having a more effective powerplay, then everyone should be happy about it (although I think he’ll remain on the first wave lol).
That’s also a good point! The goal should absolutely be to form the most effective power play units, regardless of what names are assigned to those units and in which order they come over the boards. I agree that Caufield would likely remain on PP1, but really – whatever generates the best offense and the best results is what should be used…and that goes for ANY aspect of the team and roster!
That’s also a good point! The goal should absolutely be to form the most effective power play units, regardless of what names are assigned to those units and in which order they come over the boards. I agree that Caufield would likely remain on PP1, but really – whatever generates the best offense and the best results is what should be used…and that goes for ANY aspect of the team and roster!
indeed…
I definitely don’t want the summer to be over yet but I gotta say I’m pretty excited to see this edition of the habs in action, I have a feeling they’re going to be very entertaining to watch ????
indeed…
I definitely don’t want the summer to be over yet but I gotta say I’m pretty excited to see this edition of the habs in action, I have a feeling they’re going to be very entertaining to watch ????
Yes – and training camp will be super competitive with new guys and players trying to get promoted from Laval!
Well we always encourage thinking outside the box! And moving Caufield to PP2 is definitely that! There’s been some uproar this offseason with suggestions of moving Laine off of the top unit, I can’t imagine the fan reaction if Caufield was to be bumped off the first wave As you say, likely not to happen, but you’ve laid out a good case and considered how to use some of Hughes’ new pieces he picked up this summer as well. The problem is, can MSL get out of his own way and think outside the box, too?
with the additions of Demidov and Dobson to the mix, MSL is gonna have some very interesting options to play around with… while I agree with HabsFinn that the shooting % that some guys had last year on the PP is likely unsustainable, they should be able to have two very effective powerplay units that don’t necessarily require such high ratings. I’m not sure what the exact composition of both units will be but fans shouldn’t be appalled if Caufield for example is placed on the 2nd unit, the point is to have the most chemistry and generate as many scoring chances as possible, so if having him there results in having a more effective powerplay, then everyone should be happy about it (although I think he’ll remain on the first wave lol).
Yes – and training camp will be super competitive with new guys and players trying to get promoted from Laval!
yup, should be interesting to see guys battle it out. I remember once upon a time when Nikita Scherbak was the team’s best prospect… oh how things have changed, and for the best! ????
As Pat mentioned, significant additions this year, Dobson, Demidov and also Bolduc.
I think you need to split Caufield and Laine, not have them on the same unit. That is the beginning of having 2 strong units. What that looks like, I am not sure, the real challenge is who is your 2nd PP center? Dach? Newhook? We have that hole on the 2nd center that keeps coming back to the forefront. Or are the double-shifting Suzuki?
My best guess:
I think you keep the 1st line together, with Hutson and Bolduc.
Second unit, I think you start with Laine-Dach=Demidov line, and Dobson. The question is do you want a different look, such a heavy shot shoot from the point (ie: WiFi), or continue with a 4th forward/distributor (such a Newhook).
This set up depends on how well Laine-Dach-Demidov gel together, and if Dach is not injured 37 seconds into the season.
yup, should be interesting to see guys battle it out. I remember once upon a time when Nikita Scherbak was the team’s best prospect… oh how things have changed, and for the best! ????
“He should have been a star, best 1st round pick of the draft” – QP
I definitely don’t want the summer to be over yet but I gotta say I’m pretty excited to see this edition of the habs in action, I have a feeling they’re going to be very entertaining to watch ????
For the last few years, I have been more excited about the things HuGo have been doing off the ice / in the summer to build the team and organization.
This is the first year in a while where I am more interested to see what the team can do on the ice… trying to keep my expectations realistic, but this team is coming together nicely.
and if Dach is not injured 37 seconds into the season.
Could be one of the most important factors for the makeup of the whole team to start this season!
This set up depends on how well Laine-Dach-Demidov gel together, and if Dach is not injured 37 seconds into the season.
oy vey…
????not to state the obvious but staying healthy is gonna be key for that guy if he wants to prove everyone wrong.
at this point the expectations are so low that if he does stay healthy and plays well it’ll become a pleasant surprise for the team… perhaps at that point they’ll want to trade him before he loses all of his value again lol.
at this point the expectations are so low that if he does stay healthy and plays well it’ll become a pleasant surprise for the team… perhaps at that point they’ll want to trade him before he loses all of his value again lol.
Seems obvious there was not a second line center on the market, or for a price that HuGo was willing to pay.
Giving Dach another shot seems like a good call – they made the playoffs without him last year, afterall – punting getting a 2nd C down the line until later in the season or next summer when they have more cap room / better idea of how things shake out with the current roster seems wise. I like the patience of the Habs management team.
Staying healthy for Dach is the first stop. If he can work with Laine and Demidov and provide some level of secondary scoring, that would make things more interesting down the road. I still think Dach is better on the wing than at center, but that is another issue for another day.
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