If there’s one player who had a very difficult 2023-2024 season with the Montreal Canadiens, it was forward Josh Anderson.
The Habs’ number 17 struggled mightily over the course of the season, scoring just nine goals and 20 points in 78 games.
The Habs’ power forward’s performance obviously disappointed Habs fans, who have adored Anderson ever since he arrived in Montreal.
What’s worse is that Anderson’s poor performance came at the worst possible time, when the Habs have a number of young forwards pushing hard and taking up important spots in the lineup, leaving Anderson on the bottom two rosters.
The Habs’ number 17 must get his act together this year if he doesn’t want to end his contract as a mere support player whose contract is a burden on the team.
Fortunately, it would appear that Anderson really put in the effort this summer to bounce back this season, as he has reportedly been working very hard with Adam Nicholas, the Canadiens’ Director of Hockey Development.
That’s what Martin Leclerc said on the latest episode of Tellement Hockey yesterday.
Anderson has been working very hard all summer with Nicholas to improve and fine-tune his skills so he’ll be ready to bounce back this season.
We know that Nicholas has been doing solid development work for the Montreal Canadiens since joining the Habs, so to know that he’s also taking the time over the summer to work privately with Anderson and surely other players is a good thing.
This will be a very important season for Anderson, when he’ll have to find a way to become the player he once was, with a great deal of confidence in his abilities and style of play.
Obviously, it won’t be easy with all the internal competition, but all the same, Martin Leclerc says he wouldn’t be surprised to see Josh Anderson have a good season.
All this remains to be seen.
