On his Wingmen podcast, Matthew Tkachuk had some interesting things to say about the Montreal Canadiens.
Say what you will about Florida Panthers’ pest Matthew Tkachuk, but he knows a thing or two about both hockey and what it takes to win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The two-time champion spoke about the Montreal Canadiens and winger Josh Anderson on the latest edition of the Wingmen podcast. Giving his thoughts on what we’ve seen in the playoffs so far, he said:
Montreal is a very interesting team, so fast…They definitely have some guys who do it (toughness and grit), and you look at some teams, like the team, where toughness is more important than individual toughness. Yeah, you have some guys in the league who can change it individually, but Montreal definitely has enough.
Then, the new dad went on to shower Anderson with praises:
I look at a guy like Josh Anderson as one of the best playoff players in hockey. You know he’s out there every shift; he can score, he can run you into the third row, block shots, he can play a shutdown role line, he flies around... Always, always come playoff time, he is one, if not the best player for his team, so they definitely have that.
The older Tkachuk brother then likened the Canadiens to the Harlem Globetrotters because of their skill and speed, the way they move with the puck, and the plays they make, calling their power-play goals from Sunday night “just sick”.
Overall, that was a very interesting episode of the Wingmen podcast, even though only one of the two brothers was present. Tkachuk’s endorsement of the Canadiens’ team toughness should be reassuring to Canadiens’ fans. While it’s great to have a player like Arber Xhekaj who can throw his weight around and packs a solid punch, it’s even better to have a pack mentality where everyone can play tough, and every player helps his teammate as if he were his brother. That’s what we saw on Sunday, when Yanni Gourde was in Lane Hutson’s face and trying to aggravate him, Anderson immediately grabbed him by the throat and made him move back.
As for Anderson himself, there’s no doubt his cap hit is high for what he puts up in points during the regular season, but as Tkachuk says, he is a very impactful player in the playoffs. It's often been said that there are players who get you to the playoffs and there are those who get you through them. Both are important, but a winning team needs that kind of player, the kind that turns it up a notch in the postseason and becomes the team’s heart and soul. Last year, it was Anderson who guided the Canadiens into a robust battle with the Washington Capitals; it was he who took on Tom Wilson, throwing the mitts for a spirited tilt that the two men even took to the Capitals’ bench.
You can’t win without the ability to score goals, but you can’t win without toughness either. Thankfully for the Canadiens, they do have plenty of both.
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