Top 5 Reasons Canadiens Jordan Harris Deserved Promotion

Coming off two straight losses in which the Montreal Canadiens failed to show much energy, head coach Martin St-Louis has decided to shuffle his lineup ahead of the matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

St-Louis practically overhauled his entire lineup, leading to new forward combinations and new defensive pairings.

Consequently, rookie Jordan Harris has received a promotion to the first pairing alongside Mike Matheson.

And while most of the attention will focus on Josh Anderson’s return to the top line, a questionable decision at best, there’s a lot to like about the prospect of having a player like Harris play alongside another mobile defender like Matheson.

Both defencemen are great at retrieving pucks, not to mention they’re among the best on the team when it comes to controlled exits, one of the most important factors in creating sustained shift pressure in the offensive zone.

Take a look at some of the numbers that have powered Harris’ quiet yet efficient ascension to the Canadiens’ top pairing.

It takes a big bounce off a Panther, but that's a first NHL goal for Jordan Harris! pic.twitter.com/fAo15flXSa

— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) April 29, 2022

52 – Harris is the only Canadiens defenceman that has controlled more than 50 percent of the high-danger goals this season, with 52%.

10 – With 10 points to his credit, Harris is fourth overall in rookie defencemen scoring, tied with 2021 first-round pick Owen Power. Only Calen Addison (15), Jake Sanderson (12), and Kaiden Guhle (11) have produced more points from the blue line this season.

100 – All 10 of Harris’ points have come at even strength. He trails only Guhle in even-strength production from a rookie defenceman and is on pace to have one of the best rookie seasons in franchise history in that statistical category.

48.6 – Harris currently ranks second in the defensive group regarding expected goal share, with 48.6 percent control during his shifts.

3 – Only six different pairing combinations have managed to surpass 50 percent xGF% this season with the Canadiens. Three of them involve Harris. (Harris – Guhle 71.2%, Harris – Wideman 53.7%, Harris – Kovacevic 51.3%)

(All Montreal Canadiens and Jordan Harris statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via NaturalStatTrick)