Another player who plays a similar style to Dakota Joshua is Sam Lafferty. Like Joshua, he isn’t afraid to cause trouble to break up plays and to score a lot of goals when in the attacking zone. Although his 13 baskets this season are a career high, you should also take note of his 16.7 shooting percentage, which was also a lifetime high.
Even if Lafferty isn’t likely to score that many goals in Montreal, his propensity to shoot pucks at the goal nonetheless suggests that he can score a little bit more than you might anticipate. Lafferty was on the ice for 34 goals for and 32 against, outperforming his possession quality of minus-3.9 at even strength.
Not to mention, with a Corsi For of 48.2 at even strength, he performed a far better job of assisting the Canucks in moving the puck and creating opportunities. When you consider that it was a career-high for seasons in which he participated in at least 34 games, the number doesn’t appear all that impressive.
The disadvantage of having a player like Lafferty instead of one like Joshua is that the former is not as likely to be there for the long run, at least not right now. Although Dakota Joshua is a little younger, his breakout season suggests that he might receive a fair contract and spend a few seasons in Montreal.
