Last April, while the Canadiens were packing their belongings for another long summer, Josh Anderson said he “sucked” after scoring nine goals and 20 points in 78 games, his lowest total since joining Montreal in 2020. While the 30-year-old experienced winger will continue to be a lightning rod in some social media circles, this season has seen him reinvent himself. Anderson, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 226 pounds, has gotten more active while performing frequent penalty killing duties. He has four goals and ten points in 25 games for a side that is often offensively challenged.
Anderson remains a leader in the dressing room for a young Canadiens team, demonstrating his value and worth last Saturday by putting an early beating on New York Rangers defenceman Jacob Trouba while exacting revenge for Trouba’s vicious hit on Montreal defenceman Justin Barron on Oct. 22, while the Canadiens were being manhandled 7-2.
After Wednesday morning’s practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, Anderson stated that Trouba approached him, knowing he had to pay the piper for his previous mistake, and invited him to fight.
“It’s not okay to take guys out like that,” Anderson stated, pausing in mid-sentence to carefully choose his words. “Say anything you want about the hit. I have to give Trouba credit. He was the one who contacted me and asked if I wanted to get it out of the way instead of worrying about it throughout the game. I respect his decision. That’s old-school hockey. “I have to give him credit.”
Anderson has been tremendously engaged lately, despite what would be considered moderate ice time. Anderson got four hits in 13:02 of ice time in Tuesday’s overtime win over the New York Islanders, where he was paired alongside Christian Dvorak and Brendan Gallagher. He blocked a shot, and when called
When it came time to take faceoffs, we won both. One first-period shift stood out against the Islanders. Anderson knocked Anders Lee off the puck before setting up defenceman Kaiden Guhle for a breakaway, but Ilya Sorokin stopped him.
Anderson, who joined the Canadiens in an October 2020 trade with Columbus for Max Domi, believes his game has become more consistent.
“I’m trying to do everything I can to help the team win,” he told reporters. “I’m trying to bring it every night, obviously the energy and competitive level. To be honest, I’m content with my current situation. I am in a good place. I believe I am involved in each and every game I play. Perhaps I’m playing a somewhat different role, but I
Enjoy it. Right now, it’s all about winning games and supporting the team. “I’ve always played this way,” Anderson explained. “Maybe I was a little more sure with the puck a few years back. As a gamer, you will eventually age. Your role may change, but I still feel fantastic out there. “I don’t think I’ve lost a step.”
Anderson’s contributions to the squad have not gone unnoticed by his colleagues or head coach Martin St. Louis.
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“I think it was a very important thing he did (against Trouba),” defenseman Mike Matheson stated. “He’s an important element of the team. I believe he has evolved into this over the previous few years.
Guy who is frequently targeted. I believe it is unjust because of how much he contributes for the team, and that is one of them.” St. Louis stated that Anderson’s leadership abilities cannot be underestimated. The coach stated that he leads by example on and off the rink and is enjoying a great season.
“There are so many things he showed me,” St. Louis explained. “I don’t believe he’s attempting to show me. He’s only trying to be a leader and accomplish what he thinks he can do. Show his teammates that he is all in. That’s a major deal. When you look at the standings, it’s easy to not go all in. But if we want to climb, we need guys who are willing to go all in. “That is what he is.”
While Anderson
He has twice scored more than 20 goals, including a career-high 27 with the Blue Jackets in 2018-19, and he believes he has improved his game by not putting himself under pressure to score. “Anybody could say that, really,” Anderson confessed. “You definitely want to produce in this league. You work every night. You want to do your best. All you have to do is work hard every shift, and everything will take care of itself. “The more you worry about producing, the more you will struggle.”
The Canadiens’ five-game homestand starts Thursday against Nashville (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio 690, 98.5 FM), with the Predators arriving after Wednesday’s game in Toronto.
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