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Josh Anderson bets on… luck

Josh Anderson makes no secret of it.

He knows he has to give more on the ice because he’s having a hard time with his offensive production.

And the fact that he hasn’t found the back of the net so far this season is also cause for concern.

And yet, the powerhorse hasn’t had much trouble scoring since he joined the Tricolore. His production in recent years has been respectable:

  • 17 goals – 52 games in 20-21
  • 19 goals – 69 games in 21-22
  • 21 goals – 69 games in 22-23

Josh Anderson is a big man who must rely on his speed to be successful. That said, his original style of play has been somewhat erased since the start of the campaign, as the forward has sought to make some changes to his game.

We no longer see him outflanking defenders to rush the net. It’s mainly in these moments that he’s dangerous on the ice, because his offensive qualities are quite limited.

He has to use his speed and physique to create his own scoring chances. Otherwise, he’ll continue to make life difficult for his teammates on the ice.

I said it at the outset, but #17 is aware that he needs to find a way to be more productive. How will he do that?

The forward has his own vision of things, as we can read in an article by Jean-François Chaumont (Journal de Montréal) :

I try to work on the defensive side first. That’s my mentality, and maybe bring a little more determination. Hopefully, the points will come. – Josh Anderson

It’s hard to like his answer, honestly.

When a player is looking for himself on the ice, he has to keep working hard for the results to come.

And here… Anderson “maybe” wants to bring more relentlessness to his game and is banking on luck to unlock offensively?

That’s not how it works. At the salary he earns ($5.5 M per season), he needs to set an example on the ice for his teammates, and it’s by giving his all that this will happen.

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The Montreal market is intense.

When a player doesn’t perform up to expectations, it’s usually the talk of the town.

That’s the case with Anderson right now… But at least he knows better.

At the end of the day, it’s also up to Martin St-Louis to find a way to revitalize his power forward. Anderson played a few games with Alex Newhook and Juraj Slafkovsky, but the results weren’t great.

That said…

It’s complicated with Anderson because there doesn’t seem to be a quick fix. We’ve all seen in the past that it doesn’t work with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield…

It doesn’t work on the second trio…

And the line of Sean Monahan, Tanner Pearson and Brendan Gallagher has been excellent for several games now.

So what to do?

Put him in a situation where he can succeed. But if we push the envelope even further, Martin St-Louis needs to force him to use his skating stroke to get to the net even more often.

They are, after all, his primary qualities. And he needs to start using them again.

In gusto

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– Yes!