The relaunch of the Canadian could go through spectacular hirings on the free agent market this summer.
Posted at 12:13 p.m.
Distinguished colleague Pierre Lebrun dropped this bombshell on social media on Thursday. Recalling that the management of the CH had never mentioned a reconstruction as such.
If so, it could be seen as Jeff Gorton’s clear signing with the New York Rangers a few years ago. Between 2017 and 2019, Gorton dumped Derek Stepan, Rick Nash, Ryan McDonagh, JT Miller, Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes to amass picks and give himself payroll latitude.
We were thus able to offer $ 81 million for seven years to the most coveted player on the market, Artemi Panarin, then aged 27, and acquire defender Jacob Trouba, 25, and offer him a long-term contract extension.
Gorton and Kent Hughes are not lacking in confidence. Montreal is not New York, and Canada is not the United States. So much the better if they consider the Martin St-Louis effect powerful enough to attract top players. They may have already had some favorable bells ringing.
You must first identify the needs of the team. Montreal has deficiencies in the center since the departures of Phillip Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Shea Weber’s early retirement also terribly weakened the right flank in defense.
There are not a thousand free agents with an interesting profile for a changing club like the Canadiens. But there are a few.
The first does not correspond to the desired prototype since he will be 35 years old from the spring, but there is a natural link between Kristopher Letang and the Canadian.
Letang, it is said, was very affected by the departure of Kent Hughes from the agency. Of all the foals of the stable, he is undoubtedly the closest to the new DG of the Canadian. Letang is having his best offensive season in terms of points per game with 47 points in 49 games, sixth among NHL defensemen in this regard, three points behind Victor Hedman and third.
Offering a three-year contract to Letang would not be shocking, provided of course to part with Ben Chiarot, and probably also Jeff Petry.
Since Pierre Lebrun wants to make Canadiens fans dream, the ideal player for Montreal would probably be center Tomas Hertl, 28 years old, 6 feet 3 inches and 205 pounds, 195 points in 226 games over the last four seasons, a ratio of 71 points over a full season.
Filip Forsberg is the other big name up front. But he plays on the wing, a position where the CH is better off. However, we cannot rule out such a talented player. At 27, he is having by far the best season of his career with 44 points in 39 games. According to the most recent rumors, the Nashville Predators would seek to dispose of it despite their favorable position in the standings. We can therefore guess that negotiations have broken down between the two parties.
Johnny Gaudreau, 28, spectacular this season with the Flames with 64 points in 50 games, is on the list of possible free agents, but he should not stay there long. Calgary assistant GM Craig Conroy said Thursday a deal is almost done between the Gaudreau clan and the Flames.
Evgeni Malkin, Claude Giroux, Joe Pavelski, Phil Kessel, Dustin Brown and Nazem Kadri should not interest the CH because of their age, as well as Patrice Bergeron, attached to the Bruins, but the center Ryan Strome should not be disdained, 27, acquired by Gorton for Rangers a few years ago.
Left-handed defender Hampus Lindholm, 28, would stabilize the Canadian’s defense well, but the Ducks and their new GM Pat Verbeek have already started to negotiate a new contract with him.
So you have here a rather global portrait of the situation. But before inflating your expectations, an important reminder: the CH will have around twenty competitors in this hunt for independent players…
A forgotten recruit
What is the best scorer among the Montreal Canadiens rookies? Cole Caufield, at 14and rank in this chapter in the NHL with 18 points in 37 games, is not the right answer. The answer should have been… Rem Pitlick. And yes, despite being 24 years old, and already in his third organization, Pitlick is still considered a rookie. This third round choice of the Nashville Predators in 2016 amassed 11 points in 20 games in Minnesota before being claimed on waivers by the CH, where he now has 9 points in 16 games, for 20 points in 36 games, two of more than Caufield. Pitlick, also claimed off waivers by the Wild in October 2021, played almost 20 minutes last game and regularly draws praise from Martin St-Louis.
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