While the off-season signing of Alexander Radulov certainly caught some Habs fans by surprise, the ace that was up Marc Bergevin’s sleeve on July 1st seems to be panning out just fine. The worries from fans and media that he might bring the same off-ice problems that plagued him during his last stint in the NHL seem to have subsided and, even though it is still early on, Radulov seems to be fitting in nicely with the Montreal Canadiens.
Alexander Radulov Gamble Paying off Early for the Montreal Canadiens
After the disaster that was last season, the Habs needed to shake up a few things during the summer, and signing Radulov was one of them (obviously the P.K. Subban trade was the biggest shake-up). But Bergevin was also looking to address the need for more scoring up front. He was certainly hoping that adding Radulov would help to solve that issue.
Montreal has long been a team that generates offence by committee, and Radulov was not brought in change that, but rather to help bolster the scoring threat of their top two lines. While he hasn’t necessarily been piling on the points just yet, there should be no surprises when he does start to get hot, as he was the KHL’s #2 scorer in the 2015/2016 season with 65 points in 53 games. The Habs are now able to effectively roll three lines, and are able to attack with a very balanced offence.
On-Ice Success
Overall, everyone seems to be happy with how he is doing in Montreal. The pundits are praising his ability to be strong on the puck, and are so far commending his efforts on the ice, both for his play with the puck and without it. On TSN690 radio earlier this week, the panel commented on his drive to control the play, and how, if he ever finds himself without the puck on the ice, Radulov is constantly searching for a way to either get the puck or be more involved in the pay. His desire is to drive the offence when he’s on the ice.
Even the analytics crew can’t complain about his performance. Through the Canadiens’ first four games, he has a Corsi-For percentage of 54.95% during 5 on 5 play, which is good enough for fifth on the team.
Impressive Off-Ice As Well
But it’s not just his in-game performance that has impressed so far. In an interview with Montreal French-language newspaper La Presse earlier this week, Michel Therrien stated that he has been delighted with Radulov’s work ethic so far, and that his passion for the game is contagious. Therrien is less concerned with Radulov’s past, but more focused on what he is able to bring to the team going forward.
We’re still in the first couple weeks of the season, so it might be a bit difficult to make too many assumptions, but if Radulov continues down the path he’s headed, both in work ethic and offensive output, Bergevin, and the rest of the Montreal Canadiens, should be extremely pleased with having taken the chance on him in the off-season.
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