In year 3 of its reconstruction, could the Canadian acquire a veteran this summer who will give a helping hand to its young team? Kent Hughes initially closed the door on that possibility at the trade deadline, before reopening it slightly. But if he said he wasn’t there yet, the general manager added that his club “needs pieces that we will ensure we have for a long time.”
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And the 1er Next July, when the free agent market opens, certain pieces that the Canadian can “have for a long time” (read here, who still have a few good years ahead of them) will be available.
Players who, without being big stars in the league, would fill the club’s biggest gap this season, the offense, in addition to bringing their valuable experience to their boxes.
The importance of a veteran
Of course, CH’s priority remains, at this stage, to make room for its hopes and to develop the young talents already established within the big club.
But we see on defense, the fact of banking on a veteran like David Savard constitutes a major asset to supervise the still inexperienced brigade. Hughes also described his presence as “so important” two weeks ago.
The moving truck that sent all of Sean Monahan’s furniture to Winnipeg in January left one such position vacant on offense.
Stamkos, Reinhart, Guentzel…
Even though the general manager seems to be more of a draft trade type – no one has forgotten that night when he got his hands on Kirby Dach – the Sportlogiq bots were asked the following question: what unrestricted free agent would most help the Canadiens fill their gaps?
Steven Stamkos, Sam Reinhart, Jake Guentzel, Jonathan Marchessault and Matt Duchene are among the forwards who may need to find a real estate agent on 1er July at noon.
Will they want to come?
On defense, Noah Hanifin, Brett Pesce, Brandon Montour and Brady Skjei could have to fill their boxes. But the addition of a fullback, and especially a more offensive fullback, is an unnecessary luxury for the Canadian, who is banking on a large number of prospects at this position.
Nothing indicates, either, that one of them will want to move to a city whose team does not aspire to great honors, or even the playoffs, perhaps, soon.
But there are a few names on this list who are in their late twenties and who have the potential, if they settle long term in Montreal, to still be an impact player when the Canadian finally goes for the title.
Sam Reinhart
- Center – 28 years old
- Florida Panthers
- Choice of 1D round, 2e overall, Sabers in 2014
- Current salary of $6.5 million
- 48 goals – 31 assists – 79 points in 69 games
Since arriving in Florida three years ago, Reinhart has seen his offensive production increase significantly. Second top scorer on the circuit behind Auston Matthews, he is currently the perfect complement to Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov. And a player capable of scoring goals, who could take some weight off Cole Caufield’s shoulders, is exactly what the Canadian needs.
Advanced statistics in which it stands out*
Goals: 0.70 per game / 2nd in the league
The Canadian is for his part 30e this season for goals scored by attackers, with 2.12 per game.
Success rate: 14.3% / 6th in the league
In comparison, only 6% of shots taken by CH forwards find the back of the net.
1v1 battles won: 2.2 per match / 52e in the league
All Canadian forwards are ranked 14e rank among the 32 teams in this category, with 18.2 per game.
Jake Guentzel
- Left winger – 29 years old
- Carolina Hurricanes
- 3rd round pick, 77e overall, Penguins in 2013
- Current salary of $6 million
- 24 goals – 36 assists – 60 points in 56 games
The former sidekick of Sidney Crosby, author of an 84-point season two years ago, was the most coveted player at the trade deadline. He will be again when the free agent market opens… if, of course, the Hurricanes decide not to pursue the adventure. Skilled at sneaking into the enclave, Guentzel would fill one of the CH’s glaring gaps.
Advanced statistics in which it stands out*
Shots from the slot: 2.45 per game / 6e in the league
CH attackers rank 26e rank for this statistic, with 11.4 shots from the slot per game.
5.1 successful zone entries per game / 43rd in the league
Among the Canadians, the average total is 31.1 per game among attackers, which ranks them in 23e position in the NHL.
Jonathan Marchessault
- Right winger – 33 years old
- Vegas Golden Knights
- Never drafted
- Current salary of $5 million
- 38 goals – 22 assists – 60 points in 69 games
He is from Quebec and he has never scored as many goals in a season as in 2023-2024. Those are two big pluses for the Canadian. But the problem with Marchessault is that at 33 years old, it’s difficult to imagine that he will still be at the top of his game when Montreal really needs him to win. And also, that he will undoubtedly wish to get along with a team which can immediately aspire to great honors.
Advanced statistics in which it stands out
Goals: 0.57 per match / 8e in the league
The Canadian is 30th this season for goals scored by attackers, with 2.12 per game.
Success rate: 10.2% / 41e in the league
In comparison, only 6% of shots taken by CH forwards find the back of the net.
Brett Pesce
- Right-handed defender – 29 years old
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Choice of 3e tower, 66e overall, Hurricanes in 2013
- Current salary of $4.025 million
- 3 goals – 10 assists – 13 points – differential of +8 in 60 games
On the blue line, the Canadian needs defensive reinforcement more than a back with an offensive touch. This is where a player like Pesce, who particularly excels at cutting passes, could prove interesting. But of course, such an addition would be to the detriment of the CH’s many hopes in this already limited position.
Advanced statistics in which it stands out*
Passes blocked: 5.8 per game / 3e in the league
CH’s young defensive brigade ranks 25the rank among the 32 teams, with 21.3 passes cut per game.
Blocked shots: 1.40 per game / 90e in the league
The Canadian already has a specialist in the field, in David Savard, so much so that the team ranks very well – in ninth position, with 8.8 per game – in this regard.
Noah Hanifin
- Left-handed defender – 27 years old
- Vegas Golden Knights
- 1st round pick, 5th overall, by Hurricanes in 2015
- Current salary of $4.95 million
- 11 goals – 28 assists – 39 points – differential of +16 in 68 games
Hanifin is a complete defender and he has one quality that the other players named here don’t have: he is slightly younger. But all this comes with another challenge, which is significant, that is to say that it risks being expensive. Too expensive for the Canadian’s real needs at the moment.
Advanced statistics in which it stands out*
Speared pucks: 1.9 per game / 6th in the league
Clearly, Hanifin excels in this regard, but so does the Canadian with the numbers he already has on hand (8.1 per game for all defensemen, which earns him third place in the NHL).
*As of March 13
Source: Sportlogiq