Montreal Canadiens
Canadiens Call-Up Belzile Among Most Productive NHL Players
Success stories have been few and far between for the Montreal Canadiens this season.
But one player, in particular, has defied all the odds to not only make his way to the NHL, but also take advantage of what is perhaps his last opportunity to keep his NHL dreams alive: Alex Belzile.
With an assist in the Canadiens’ 6-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night, the 31-year-old pushed his season totals to four goals and eight assists in 22 games.
And the context in which he earned those points deserves to be noted because playing minimal minutes in the bottom six is rarely conducive to scoring.
Yet, the Saint-Éloi native has consistently provided offence when the chips are down.
In other words, he’s leading the charge when the Canadiens need it most.
Belzile’s goal tonight, what a snipe pic.twitter.com/uSCX8CBlne
— Habs Fan TV (@habsfantv_) March 6, 2023
By The Numbers
Here’s where things get even more impressive.
As it stands, Belzile is among the top 5 players in the NHL when it comes to 5v5 production in relation to ice time, with 3.08 points per 60 (minimum 100 minutes).
He trails only Daniel Sprong (3.09), Elias Pettersson (3.19), Jeff Skinner (3.22), and Tage Thompson (3.37), and finds himself ahead of established NHL stars such as Matthew Tkachuk (3.03), Nathan MacKinnon (3.03), David Pastrnak (2.94), Jack Hughes (2.91), Connor McDavid (2.77), and Sidney Crosby (2.77).
Chris Wideman gets the goal, but Alex Belzile gets the highlight reel assist. pic.twitter.com/TsHLRLiCHq
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) March 14, 2023
We should note we’re dealing with a much smaller sample size when it comes to Belzile’s numbers, which works in his favour, however, it’s also fair to say Belzile is not playing with the same quality of teammates as a player like McDavid and Crosby usually does.
Of course, no one is saying Alex Belzile is a better player than Sidney Crosby, but considering his difficult journey to the NHL, which led him to a myriad of ECHL teams, you’ll find few better examples of players that best exemplify the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
It may be too late for Belzile to be included in the Masterton Trophy conversation, but at the very least, he’s quickly working his way toward a well-deserved contract extension with the Canadiens.
All statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via NaturalStatTrick.
Canadiens Tank Watch: Habs Get Help, Remain In Bottom Five
Canadiens Practice Notes: Good & Bad News On Injury Front
Canadiens Prospect Power Rankings: Hutson’s Magical Season
Habs Daily: Rookie D-Men Shining, AHL Playoffs, Dach’s Impact
Dach Immediately Makes Impact in Canadiens Win Over Lightning
Canadiens Practice Notes: Drouin Disciplined By St-Louis
Canadiens Tank Tracker: Habs Creating Separation In Standings
Canadiens Call-Ups To Force Kent Hughes’ Hand In Offseason
Canadiens Prospect Watch: Hutson Makes History, Roy On Fire
Or, could another team offer him more term than we’re willing and he takes the security of a paycheque over the situation he’s got here at home? Hopefully Montreal signs him to a two-way contract for 2yrs with good money in the AHL so everyone gets the best of both worlds. 🤞
At his age with such a small sample size of NHL success ?
Unlikely.
I mean if he maintains this pace till the end of the season then maybe.
But even in Laval he’d have great streaks then long cold ones.
That said once he gets hot he’s a hard player to contain .
I think he stays because he’s got a house and kids.
This just gives him the leverage to go from 275k to 650k-900k at the least
Deffinately make it a 2 way contract for cap reasons to avoid burying his contract.
He’s 32 if you triple his pay and give him the shot at lets say a 1.1m NHL salary everyone is happy. Give him 2-3 years and even if he doesnt make the NHL team every again once he’s in the AHL the cap is gone.
Laval needs a Captain and he was a good one with more call ups made good under him then any other Captain Laval’s had since 2008 when i think it Corey Locke was Captain. He’s a solid call up who most of our young bottom 6 guys will have played under.
I’d move him full time to Center in the AHL because he’s always been more of a Drouin or Shaw then a real center. He just helps out from wing until this year.
I wasn’t going to get into numbers in my post, but ya, that’s exactly what I was thinking. Give him no more than a million in the NHL and about 500K in the AHL (I don’t know what he’s making in the minors, but as long as it’s at least better than what he’s getting now).
he shouldve had a roster spot a long long long long long long time ago.. Yes he has cold streaks.. but as the previous comments say.. he has the heart of a captain..And he’s a really great playmaker… but politics are politics… and unfortunately it was never presented to him untill these last two years due to the Emporium Of injuries the habs have sustained.
I say make his day… Give this player a great bump in salary .. 500k is right on the nose.. but to sweeten the deal and show their respect to a player who has waited for what it seemed an eternity to get his shot.. give him a signing bonus.