CANADIENS FREE AGENCY: SEARCHING FOR THE NEXT SEAN MONAHAN
Kent Hughes made no bones about the lack of marquee free agents signings by the Montreal Canadiens. Like most teams, the Habs are interested in adding some talent to their top six, but they simply aren’t willing to destroy the age structure of the core group of players by offering a veteran player the type of term that would handcuff their long-term financial manoeuvrability.
It’s a wise approach to free agency, especially when we consider teams reacted to the news that the salary cap would be going up with the same type of consideration for the future and restraint a golden retriever would display if it were given a plate of pasta.
“We have so many young players,” explained Hughes. “So, we aren’t worried about paying a player, but term is an issue. We didn’t want four or five-year deals. We wanted to add a player if they were able to play in the top six, with a short term. If we could do it, that’s great, but if not, it’s not a crucial aspect of our long-term rebuild. The first day [of free agency] involved finding a premiere player that wants a short term, which is hard, but you have to try.”
Few fans would fault the team for being hesitant to offer long-term contracts to aging players, but there’s certainly some truth behind the idea that the Canadiens could stand to add a player to the lineup who is capable of playing in the top six, or at the very least, anchor the third line.
The Habs may not be able to offer older players term, but their recent success in rehabilitating Sean Monahan’s market value points to a strategy that could entice another veteran around the league who is looking to extend his shelf life in the NHL. With Day 1 of free agency in the books, and most of the players hellbent on signing long term deals on their way to new teams, let’s take a look at the remaining available free agents who could benefit from the Canadiens’ re-branding services.
Vladimir Tarasenko
Say what you will about Tarasenko’s defensive game, but he certainly would fill a pressing need. Even while bouncing from team to team, the 32-year-old has managed to maintain a very respectable goal-scoring pace, with the vast majority of those goals coming while the teams were at even strength. Without getting bogged down in the details of his usage, his even-strength goals-per-60 production last year would have easily ranked first among all Canadiens players.
Of course, he doesn’t profile as the ideal Martin St-Louis player, but most coaches would appreciate adding a player of Tarasenko’s ilk to the lineup, especially a lineup that’s as offensively started as the one coached by St-Louis.
Tomas Tatar
Yes, we’ve been down this road before. But despite his unceremonious exit from Montreal, it’s fair to say Tatar was incredibly underrated during his time with the Habs. The days of Tatar, Brendan Gallagher, and Phillip Danault putting together some of the best underlying numbers in the history of the NHL are behind us, but the 33-year-old winger could bring value to the organization, both on and off the ice.
Adding another Slovak to the lineup would surely put a smile on Juraj Slafkovsky’s face, as they could discuss Montreal’s shocking lack of quality bryndzové pirohy and bryndzové halušky, but beyond the familiarity factor, Tatar’s penchant for controlling the flow of the game thanks to his excellent work in the neutral zone would also be welcomed by St-Louis. The Montreal Canadiens struggle to produce off the rush, and Tatar happens to be the type of player who knows how to position himself in the neutral zone to provide outlet options for defencemen who are under pressure.
The Third Option(s) For The Montreal Canadiens
It’s not easy to find players on the wrong side of 30 who could still bring some value to the table for the Habs while also benefitting from the opportunity they have to offer in the team’s top six. James Van Riemsdyk and Adam Henrique are a little too old to consider. The same can be said about the former captain of the Montreal Canadiens, Max Pacioretty. He did a fairly good job re-inventing himself after two horrific ruptures of his Achilles tendon, but the main issue, beyond his injury history, would be his lack of speed.
That wouldn’t be a problem for 25-year-old Kailer Yamamoto, who was not offered a qualifying offer by the Seattle Kraken on Monday, and thus became a free agent. The question becomes whether he still has the ability to reach 20 goals, as he did in 2021-22, or whether the last two seasons are indicative of a player who is in the midst of a production free fall.
The good news is he’s maintained strong underlying numbers, both with the Seattle Kraken and the Edmonton Oilers, but the last thing the Habs need to do is add another player to the lineup who will struggle to provide secondary or tertiary scoring on a regular basis.
More must-reads:
2024-07-02T14:34:27Z dg43tfdfdgfd