Canadiens Need to Make Changes to Help Josh Anderson Reboot 

This up-and-down, inconsistent version of the Canadiens has been frustrating, but that is part of the rebuilding process of a team that is still learning. For Josh Anderson however, the peaks and valleys are not due to youth or inexperience. For him, it is a problem that needs to be attended to on the ice, before it becomes a problem general manager (GM) Kent Hughes needs to address off of it.

The Problem with Anderson 

Anderson has yet to score through 21 games this season. The last time he went this long without scoring a goal was the final 21 games in Columbus during the 2019-20 season. At least back then there was a physical reason, he was playing through an injured shoulder that required surgery. 

Last season, he had 21 goals and 32 points in 69 games before the injury occurred, and would have had more if he had been able to capitalize on some of his many breakaways. This season, he has only two points in 21 games while averaging almost 17 minutes in ice time per night, including time on the top unit of the power play (PP). 

He’s still doing things on the ice that make him reliable for head coach Martin St. Louis. He’s providing his signature speed on the rush, and a solid forecheck. That being said, however, he hasn’t been playing as physically as he had been in the past. This season, he is averaging only one hit per game, prior to this season he had been averaging at least two hits per game. That may not sound like much of a difference, but it demonstrates his shift mentally, that he has made a change in his game that may not be working for him. 

“He’s the total package if you think about it with his speed, his size, his strength. He’s learning to play with four other guys on the ice. He gets open and he gets behind. I think tonight he had three breakaways. He’s got stuff that you can’t teach and I think he’s really been receptive with the stuff that we’ve been talking about to help his overall game and you can see it. He gets way more touches and he’s way more efficient on the ice and from that more scoring chances, more confidence. It’s just a domino effect. I’m really happy with his play.”

– Martin St. Louis (Stu Cowan: Canadiens’ Anderson adds new wrinkles under St. Louis, The Montreal Gazette, March 13, 2023) 

And that is the dilemma Anderson’s play brings to the club. He continually states he loves playing in Montreal, and that he wants to remain with the organization for the rest of his career. But his lack of production is hurting the team. Not just on the ice, but also off of it as well. As one of only a handful of true power forwards in the NHL, he is one of the Canadiens’ most valuable assets. But he hasn’t found his rhythm, and without it, he can’t help the rebuild on the ice, or off of it as one of Hughes’ most valuable trade chips.  

Time for a New Approach for Anderson 

Over his career, Anderson has seemingly been producing consistent numbers, hovering between 17 and 21 goals per season. He did have a couple outlier seasons of one goal and 27 goals, but the 29-year-old forward is seen as a solid 20-goal threat. As consistent as that may seem from a production standpoint on a macro scale, when you zoom in and investigate his game-to-game play and production he simply hasn’t been consistent, even from shift to shift.  

This isn’t to lay into the player, even at the NHL level, the majority of players are inconsistent. Only the truly great players are consistent in their play, that’s part of what makes them great. No, in Anderson’s case, it is to demonstrate the peaks and valleys in his game. The issue this season seems to be that this valley is deeper than most he’s been in.

“I don’t know if it’s mental, to be honest with you. Obviously it’s frustrating, but I’m in a good place mentally. I’m just going to put my head down and keep working each and every day and try to be the player I know I can be.”

– Josh Anderson 

Prior to the game versus the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 24, Anderson argued against the question asked of him if he is lacking mental focus. His time spent on the ice before and after practice, working on his game with skills coaches and head coach St. Louis points to a player that has the mental focus to improve his game. However, there is another aspect to a player’s approach, confidence. 

“To be honest, I’m not happy with where I’m placing the puck right now. I’ve been so good in my career of picking a spot and putting it exactly where I wanted it to go. It’s a game of inches. So these scoring chances that I’ve had, I haven’t been putting the puck where I wanted to. I’ll be off by an inch, and that’s all it takes.”

– Josh Anderson 

Anderson may seem as though he is working hard, even in good spirits despite the issues he is having producing. But that doesn’t mean his confidence in his abilities is where it should be. A lack of confidence can have a dramatic effect on a player. It will keep him in his comfort zone because that’s where he feels safe. But for St. Louis, who believes that “safe is death”, he will need to take him out of that comfort zone. It really doesn’t make sense to let Anderson continue to struggle with no changes even though all signs after the preseason pointed to Anderson being poised for a breakout season. It shows that Anderson’s game hasn’t dropped off, it’s a matter of bad luck, a deviation from his more physical style, and most likely a lack of confidence. So, it’s time to remove the pressure.  

Remove the pressure of being on the PP. The longer he goes without production on the top unit, the more pressure he will feel, which in turn leads to him taking some chances that could kill any momentum. There will be those arguing that removal will damage Anderson’s confidence, but that is likely to be far less than the damage caused by his self-doubt stemming from his sub-par offensive output. 

Also, remove the pressure of being in the top-six. So far, St. Louis has done that by moving him down to what is on paper a third line. Lining up with Sean Monahan, who has been a bright spot for the Canadiens, he has been able to play a highly effective two-way game, but also make the players around him better. Leaving the two together is important for Anderson. But so is the fact he should be seeing the opposition’s second and third-pairing defenders more in this role, making his life offensively that much easier than facing top defencemen every shift. 

As the season and his scoring drought have worn on, Anderson has not been playing to his identity. He has veered off course from some of the things that have made him successful in the past. He needs to return to his physical approach, to his attacking of the net and using his shot from in close. By taking some of the pressure to be an offensive catalyst off Anderson, removing the need to score, he can simplify his approach. He can focus on getting back to basics and re-establishing his identity as a physical, forechecking power forward.