A look at former Canadiens' players so far this season

Christopher Higgins

The American forward is having a hard time in the Big Apple. In fact, Higgins only has five points this year, and only deux goals. Defensively, Higgins' strength, is having difficulties adjusting to John Tortorella's style of play posting a plus/minus differential of -5. Tortorella is mainly using him on the third line as a forechecker. His might run out of patience towards Higgins if the latter doesn't adjust quickly and start producing on a Rangers' team lacing depth offensively after Gaborik, Prospal and Kotalik.

Saku Koivu

Saku Koivu, now playing for the Anaheim Ducks, is clearly the second line centre behind Ryan Getzlaf. Playing mostly with Selanne and Lupul before he was suffered a lower body injury, Koivu only has eight points in 15 games with the Ducks. Saku Koivu played his last game on November 7th against the Coyotes. He is currently day-to-day and his offensive contribution would be greatly appreciated on a team that is tankering offensively this season.

Mike Komisarek

The New York native is not playing well, not well at all! No point in 16 games. No point! Some will say it's normal, since Komisarek is a defensive defenseman, but what about his horrendous plus/minus differential of -9 and his 31 penalty minutes? Komisarek is currently of the shelf with a quadriceps injury. Komisarek hasn't exactly lived up to the $22.5 million deal he inked in the offseason. He is also making more money than proven defensemen such as Brooks Orpik, Dennis Wideman, Filip Kuba and Rob Blake.

Tom Kostopoulos

It's hard to analyze the work of a player such as Tom Kostopoulos because offensively, the latter doesn't bring anything at all on the ice (one point in 20 games), and defensively, his has posted a plus/minus differential of -3. However, we have to take into consideration that key players like Cam Ward and Eric Staal are currently injured which help the Hurricanes to win games. Also, Kostopoulos only plays an average of nine minutes per game, so the offensive opportunities are hard to come by. Globally, his teammates appreciate his work ethic and his style of play, Kostopoulos brings grit and leadership to a soft Hurricanes team.

Alex Kovalev

Canadiens' fans were unhappy this summer when Bob Gainey didn't tender an offer to Kovalev. Now they wonder why they were upset. In fact, Kovy's production is so ordinary that at this current pace, the Artist will post his worst season since 1998-99, during which year he recorded a mere 46 points in 63 games. However, in Ottawa, the Senators seem happy to rely on the services of such a talented player, and fans are glad the Russian winger is donning their uniform. It's only a matter of time before Kovalev starts producing at a higher pace, since he's playing with talented players like Mike Fisher and Nick Foligno.

Robert Lang

Before the season, Robert Lang's personal objective was to score between 20 and 25 goals with Phoenix. Currently, Lang has five goals and six assists for 11 points in 20 games, a pace of 20 goals and 40 points over a full season. Lang is playing good hockey on a much improved Coyotes' team, so his leadership and experience will prove valuable when his team fight for a tough playoffs berth in the Western Conference. Lang also hopes to avoid an injury like last year's season ending injury that made him miss the last 30 games.

Francis Bouillon

The American rearguard is happy in Nashville, and the Predators are happy with his play, despite a tough start for both the team and Francis. His plus/minus ratio of -8 has to be improved as Bouillon's main quality is his defensive play in his own zone. Trotz is showing a lot of confidence in the former Hab giving him almost 21 minutes of play every game. Bouillon acts as a mentor for the very young and talented Nashville defensive corps of Suter, Weber, Franson and Klein, among others.

Mathieu Schneider

After missing the start of the season due to a rotator cuff injury, Mathieu Schneider has only played eight games so far for the Canucks, having recorded two goals and one assist. Schneider can still help the Canucks on the power play and log quality minutes despite his venerable age of 40. The American defenseman has a passion for hockey and with fragile d-men like Sami Salo and Kevin Bieksa, Schneider is a nice insurance policy to have.

Steve Bégin

Following injuries to key players like Marc Savard and David Krejci, Bégin received a nice vote of confidence from his head coach, Claude Julien; that is, kill penalties, play against the opponent's most offensive line and provide leadership to a younger Bruins' team. With nine points in 20 games, Bégin is having a great season so far in Boston and Julien is giving him more playing time than he ever had in Montreal under Guy Carbonneau. Bégin even played 18 minutes against the Sabres earlier this month!

Alex Tanguay

Tanguay has finally woke up. And when Alex Tanguay is playing well, the positive results are immediate. With twelze points in 18 games, Tanguay is finally clicking with fellow Quebeckers Vincent Lecavalier and Stephane Veilleux. Tanguay is red-hot with ten points in the past nine games. He is providing the depth the Lightning were looking for when they signed as a free-agent this summer. With offensive weapons such as St-Louis, Lecavalier, Stamkos and Malone, Tanguay is bound to have a great season. Expect him to notch at least 65 points with the Bolts this year.

Finally, a very interesting statistic: the former Canadiens playing elsewhere currently have 46 points while the Canadiens' new acquisitions have combined for 60 points... And the Canadiens have problems finding the back of the net. What if Gainey had kept all of the above players instead?

Source of inspiration: http://www.fanatique.ca/canadiens/les-anciens-du-canadien-sont-ils-si-do...