Who's Overachieving, Underperforming for the Montreal Canadiens This Season?

The Montreal Canadiens are, as a team, overachieving so far this season. An exciting 6-1 record has the Habs atop the Eastern Conference, and even the most optimistic fans wouldn't have expected this much success early in 2014-15. 

It has been a dream start to the season, due in part to some solid individual performances. Carey Price is 5-1 and rounding into form after a shaky start, while P.K. Subban and Max Pacioretty are filling the stat sheets with points. 

Those are the Canadiens' superstars, and they're expected to contribute in the ways they have been. But a 6-1 start doesn't happen with just those guys performing as they should.

It takes others playing at a level higher than expected to be a top team in the NHL, and the Canadiens have a lot of guys doing just that so far. And of course, even when a team is playing well, there are always a couple guys who aren't playing at their best. 

Let's look at who is overachieving and underperforming for the Montreal Canadiens so far in the 2014-15 season. 

Overachieving: Tomas Plekanec

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Tomas Plekanec

The Bell Centre faithful expect a lot out of Tomas Plekanec. He has done it all for the Habs over the past nine seasons, contributing at both ends of the ice and on special teams. 

Yet even for the high standards that Plekanec has developed for himself, this start to the season has been an overachievement. 

Through seven games, Plekanec is the Canadiens' leading scorer in goals (four) and points (eight). He also has 20 shots on goal while playing 18:49 a night. 

And, as usual, he's getting it done defensively. He has begun the season with a plus-four rating while mostly lining up against the opponent's top line. He is also second among forwards with 2:15 of penalty-killing ice time per game (Manny Malhotra averages 2:51). 

Plekanec is loving the 2014-15 season so far, and a lot of it might have to do with his new linemates. He is clearly benefiting from the improved play of left-winger Alex Galchenyuk, who has made some incredible passes to the veteran Czech center already this season. P.A. Parenteau has also fit in nicely on the right side, as he quietly has five points through seven games. 

It has been an incredible start to the season for Plekanec. The success that his line is having has been a big reason why the Habs are 6-1. Big things are expected from the nine-year veteran, but leading the team in goals and scoring isn't one of them. He's overachieving so far in 2014-15. 

Underperforming: Rene Bourque

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Rene Bourque

This must sound like a broken record: Rene Bourque's name is at the top of yet another criticism list. 

Through seven games, Bourque's stats look like this: No goals, one assist, and a minus-seven rating. Yes, Bourque has somehow stumbled to a team-worst minus seven even though his squad has won six of its first seven games. 

Bourque's best attribute is, by far, his shot. It's what got him most of his eight playoff goals last season. Yet, he's barely even using that so far this season, managing just 10 shots on net. That's just 1.42 shots per game, not nearly enough. 

We can try to look to advanced stats to help Bourque's cause, but, as you may have guessed from his low shot total, they aren't very pretty, either. His Corsi percentage is just 0.75, while his relative Corsi percentage is -6.2. 

Bourque had Canadiens fans' hopes up after his red-hot playoffs last season, but any momentum gained then seems to have disappeared over the summer. He's off to an underwhelming start this season. 

Overachieving: Jarred Tinordi

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Jarred Tinordi

Coming out of training camp, not a whole lot was expected of Jarred Tinordi. After all, it was Nathan Beaulieu who won the Canadiens' sixth-defenseman job out of training camp, in part due to his performance in the playoffs last season. 

The coaching staff kept Tinordi around as the seventh D-man, basically telling him to be ready in case something happened. Well, something did happen when Alexei Emelin was forced to miss two games due to injury, and the youngster got the call. 

Tinordi played his first game of the season in Philadelphia back on Oct. 11 and then replaced Emelin again in Tampa Bay. While he was a combined minus-two in those games, he still managed to impress with an assist, five blocked shots and six hits. 

The 22-year-old native of Burnsville, Minnesota, was given a chance to claim a starting spot with the Canadiens, and he did so. Since Emelin's return Oct. 16, Tinordi has remained in the lineup, forcing Beaulieu to watch from the press box.

In the three games since then, Tinordi has added another assist while staying even in the plus/minus department. He's fought once, blocked three shots and delivered eight hits. 

He has also been great with the puck, which is something usually attributed more to Beaulieu's game. He may not have the flair that Beaulieu has, but Tinordi delivers great passes coming out of his zone and has rarely turned the puck over so far this season. 

Tinordi was given an opening into the lineup early this season, and he pounced on the opportunity. He has been a pleasant surprise on the back end for the Canadiens in 2014-15. 

Underperforming: Lars Eller

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Lars Eller

After signing that four-year, $14 million contract, Lars Eller was surely hoping for a fast start. Any early-season struggles would be magnified due to the fact that he's now making the same amount of money as the team's No. 1 center. 

Unfortunately for the young Dane, he hasn't exactly had a dream start to the season. Luckily, the Canadiens are 6-1 and, for the most part, the media has let his struggles slide. 

Through seven games, Eller's stats look eerily similar to Bourque's, which makes perfect sense considering they're linemates. He hasn't scored, has just one assist and has a minus-six rating (one better than Bourque). He is also shooting a bit more than his left winger, as Eller has 13 shots on goal. 

To be fair to Eller, and this applies to Bourque as well, his coach isn't helping him much in the offensive department. It seems that Plekanec's early offensive success has led to more defensive responsibility for Eller. His offensive-zone start percentage is just 32.7 percent, meaning most of his shifts are beginning in either the neutral zone or his own end.

Starting a shift in your own end obviously makes getting on offense much more difficult. It also means that, more often than not, you're lined up against one of the opponent's top two offensive lines. 

Clearly, Eller and his linemates are being used as more of a traditional third line, where their primary goal is playing defensive hockey.

But still, he's second last on the team with his minus-six rating and has just one point. He can do better. He's underperforming so far and will look to get his season turned around quickly. 

Overachieving: Alex Galchenyuk

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Alex Galchenyuk

Alex Galchenyuk is off to a very hot start. Through seven games, the former third overall pick has three goals and four assists, putting him on a point-per-game pace. He won't be expected to pot 82 points this season, but it has still been a fun few games to open the 2014-15 season. 

In fact, his game-tying wraparound late in the third against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 21 might have been his biggest regular-season moment so far in a Habs uniform. 

Galchenyuk is currently second in team scoring, one behind linemate Plekanec. He's also tied for second in goals scored. He has a solid plus-four rating and has fired an impressive 17 shots on goal. 

Some might say this start should be expected, considering his pedigree. It is, after all, his third NHL season, and it's about time he becomes a star. 

But it's important to remember that he's still just 20 years old. He doesn't turn 21 until February. Not many prospects, in fact a very rare few, begin their NHL careers like Nathan MacKinnon did last season in having immediate success. Most need a few years to develop.

Just look at Galchenyuk's draft class. First overall pick Nail Yakupov hasn't done much of anything in Edmonton, and he's recently been the subject of trade rumors, at least according to Chris Peters at CBSSports.com.

Ryan Murray, drafted second, has played just 66 games because of injuries. Fourth overall pick Griffin Reinhart has only just now managed to crack the New York Islanders roster and has three career games under his belt. 

Other players taken in the first round, such as Filip Forsberg and Tanner Pearson, are also just now rounding into NHL-caliber players. The point is this: It takes time with young players, and expectations should be realistic with 20-year-olds. 

Is this the year that Galchenyuk takes the next step? Possibly. But regardless, he's still overachieving to begin the year. 

All traditional stats from NHL.com. All advanced stats from BehindTheNet.ca. 

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