The Montreal Canadiens went through an incredible number of injuries in the past two seasons. Each year, they had about 600 man-games lost to injury meaning they were missing an average of seven or eight players every game of the season.
This opened the door for some players to play more than they would have if the team remained healthy. Some of those players stepped in and filled a hole for a few games and would never be heard from again. Others took advantage of their opportunity and proved to be better at the NHL level than anyone would have thought.