When the Florida Panthers acquired Same Bennett from the Calgary Flames, they had to sacrifice a promising prospect who they had drafted 43rd overall at the 2020 draft, Emil Heineman. Less than a year later, when Brad Treliving wanted to get Tyler Toffoli from the Montreal Canadiens, he put together a package that included Tyler Pitlick, a conditional first-round pick, a fifth round pick and the Swedish left winger.
Two and a half years later, Heineman has found a spot in Montreal’s NHL lineup. It might not be the one he hoped for, as he’s currently skating on the fourth line alongside Lucas Condotta and Joel Armia, but he’s doing whatever is asked of him.
In 19 games, he spends on average 10:23 on the ice and he truly makes the most of it. He has 6 points to his name but also 45 hits and a spot on the second wave of the power play.
When he’s skating on the fourth line, he’s doing everything he can to be a pain for the opponent. He’s applying a lot of pressure on the forecheck, gives his hall in races for the puck and doesn’t miss a single opportunity to dish out a big hit.
He’s being so effective in his role that when it’s time for Patrik Laine and Rafael Harvey-Pinard to reintegrate the lineup, he won’t be the first name the team thinks of as a potential healthy scratch, even if he is waivers exempt.
If the Canadiens really want to rebuild the right way and reward good play, they might just need to think about scratching a couple of veterans instead of going for the easy option that Heineman would present. Overall this season, he has been much more consistent than say a Joel Armia or a Christian Dvorak.
Related: Canadiens: Not Up To The Challenge
However, Montreal has yet to send any kind of meaningful message to its underperforming veterans unlike last season when Armia was waived and sent down to Laval. The Finn is on a contract year just like Dvorak though and while the Canadiens might be mindful not to hurt their value on the trade market, the way they play at times can be just as hurtful to their value was a demotion to the AHL.
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