The National Hockey League (NHL) regular season is only about a month old, but all teams on the circuit have already played at least 10 games.
Some of them disappoint, others surprise. This applies to both the formations and the players who belong to them.
Former members of the Montreal Canadiens were the talk of the town early in the campaign because of their poor performances. Jonathan Drouin and Jeff Petry were suspended from their respective training sessions. Others, like Alexander Romanov, are still looking for their first point.
But let’s stay positive. What about the ex-Canadians who meet or even exceed expectations?
Here are the top 5 best starts to the season for former CH players:
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1-Jesperi Kotkaniemi: 5 goals and 12 points in 12 games
After a career-high 43 points last season, “KK” appears to be coming out of his shell with the Carolina Hurricanes. The 23-year-old Finn spends an average of just over 15 minutes on the ice per game, his longest time in his career.
Kotkaniemi was drafted third overall by the Habs in 2018. He played three seasons for the club before signing a hostile offer from the Canes in the summer of 2021. Then-general manager Marc Bergevin had decided not to match a one-year, $6.1 million contract; The player then accepted $38.56 million for eight years in March 2022.
Photo Martin Chevalier
2-Tyler Toffoli: 7 goals and 11 points in 11 games
The 31-year-old veteran, who posted a career-best 73 points last season, is on track to do even better in 2023-2024. The move that took him from the Calgary Flames to the New Jersey Devils in the summer has been very beneficial for him so far. He played on the same line as Jack Hughes, one of the NHL’s top scorers, before suffering an injury.
In the summer of 2020, Toffoli signed a four-year, $17 million contract with the Montreal club. He was traded to Calgary on February 14, 2022 by newly arrived general manager Kent Hughes.
Martin Chevalier / JdeM
3-Artturi Lehkonen: 3 goals and 7 points in 10 duels
Like the previous two names on this list, the Finn also had the most successful season of his career in 2022/23, collecting 21 goals and 51 points in 64 games. If he keeps up the same pace, he could improve on that mark as he is on track to score around 57 points. He plays to the left of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen on the Colorado Avalanche’s front row.
The Canadian selected Lehkonen in the second round of the 2013 draft. He then played six seasons for the organization. In 2021-2022, less than a year after the overtime winning goal that led the Habs to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1993, the forward was traded to the Avs. A few months later he won the precious trophy with his new team.
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4-Phillip Danault: 3 goals and 7 points in 11 games
The 30-year-old Quebec native is in his third season with the Los Angeles Kings. The arrival of Pierre-Luc Dubois this summer raised doubts about the role intended for the number 24, as both played in the centre. It must be admitted that this acquisition did not affect him too much, as he scored one point more than the former Winnipeg Jets.
The Canadian got his hands on Danault and a 2015-2016 second-round pick by trading forwards Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Victoriaville native played five more seasons with the CHs before signing a six-year, $33 million contract with the Kings as an unrestricted free agent.
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5-Corey Perry: 2 goals and 7 points in 11 games
The Blackhawks’ new forward took no time to make a name for himself after signing a $4 million contract for 2023-24. Despite his 38 years, the man, who is in his 18th season on the Bettman circuit, has totaled seven points in 11 games and averages less than 15 minutes of ice time. He is tied with his teammate Connor Bedard, the first pick in the last NHL draft, at the top of the team.
Perry only played one season at CH. He came to the Quebec metropolis as a free agent for the 2020-2021 season and helped the team reach the Stanley Cup Final, where the CH lost in five duels against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He also signed with the same team the following season when his contract with the Glorieux expired.
Recognitions:
-Erik Gustafsson (New York Rangers): 3 goals and 6 points in 11 games
-Mikhail Sergachev (Tampa Bay Lightning): 6 assists in 12 duels