The Canadian | Will a CEO fall for Brett Kulak?

“We love Brett Kulak as a player, we have no interest in trading him. I can never say that we will not trade a player: if there is an offer that we cannot refuse, we will certainly consider it. [Mais] I can tell you that we don’t make calls to ask people if they have any interest in Brett Kulak. »

Simon Olivier Lorange
The Press

Kent Hughes’ vote of confidence in his defender couldn’t be clearer. Last Thursday, a few hours after having traded Ben Chiarot to the Florida Panthers, the general manager of the Canadiens affirmed that he was not actively seeking to dispose of any other of his players, including Kulak.

Only two players evade this statement. Jeff Petry has explicitly asked to be traded and the team is ready to accommodate him if a quality offer comes along. And according to our information, the name of Shea Weber would have been at the center of discussions for a transaction with the Arizona Coyotes.

This “offer you can’t refuse” mentioned by the GM on Kulak is intriguing. Because it opens the door to all interpretations.

10 days ago, the defender’s agent confirmed to The Press that no serious discussion had taken place with the management of CH with a view to extending the contract. The Albertan is in the last year of a deal that earns him $1.85 million per season. CH number 77 gave the same story a few days ago.

So it begs the question: At this trade deadline, what would an impossible-to-refuse offer look like for Brett Kulak?

Flaming market

The answer could come from the defender market, which has been on fire over the past few days. From late March 14-20, 31 players and 29 draft picks switched sides. Of that number, 13 skaters were defensemen, a higher representation (41.9%) than that of a typical formation taking part in a game (6 of 20, or 30%).

As the playoffs approach, teams like to give themselves latitude on defense. Some seek to catch the big fish – Josh Manson, Ben Chiarot, Hampus Lindholm, Mark Giordano… – but others aim lower. On Sunday alone, five so-called “depth” defenders moved: Travis Hamonic, Travis Dermott, Robert Hagg, Troy Stecher and Jeremy Lauzon.

The first two each earned a third-round pick and the next two, sixth- (Hagg) and seventh- (Stecher)-round picks. Lauzon cost him a second-round pick. How do you situate Kulak, 28, in relation to this group? It’s not simple.

Dermott is younger (25 years old) and has a better contract (another season at 1.5 million). Like Kulak, he was little used on special teams in Toronto, but overall he played much less: not even 15 minutes per game, while his CH counterpart played almost 18.

Hamonic was enjoying similar time in Vancouver to Kulak, although he was much more in demand on the penalty kill. However, he is older (31 years old) and earns significantly more (another 3 million in 2022-2023). On social networks, the most informed observers jumped when they saw the price paid by the Ottawa Senators to obtain it.

Hagg and Stecher are both 27 years old. They were among the least-used defensemen on two low-caliber teams (the Buffalo Sabers and Detroit Red Wings, respectively). Above all, their defensive indicators don’t make them look very good. In Sunrise and Los Angeles, they will play secondary roles, at best.

As for Lauzon, he has the advantage of youth (24 years old) and of occupying a clear niche: that of a robust defender with a strictly defensive character.

What is Kulak worth in this market? Probably no less than Dermott and Hamonic. But will a panicking GM go so far as to throw a second-round pick on the table? Various media have reported that both Alberta teams have shown interest in him. The New York Rangers are also looking for a left-handed defenseman.

However, the options are becoming increasingly rare. Among the so-called “rental” players, Kulak finds himself alongside Calvin de Haan and Andy Greene, Arthur Staple, an Athletic journalist assigned to cover Rangers, noted on Twitter. He also put forward the names of Carson Soucy and Jacob Middleton, who will not be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season.

Would a second or third choice make Kent Hughes hesitate, who also seems satisfied with his bank of 13 choices for the 2022 draft?

We will have the answer by this Monday, 3 p.m.

The Canadian in a nutshell

After being ignored on waivers last week, Mathieu Perreault has still not been transferred to the Laval Rocket, in the American League. He is believed to have met with management to update him on his situation, but no details leaked out of the discussions. His agent did not call back The Press, Sunday. An exchange remains possible in his case. If it wished, his new team could demote him to his school club without subjecting him to waivers again. By doing so, she would wipe her salary ($950,000) off her books until the playoffs.

A detail about Rem Pitlick has more or less gone under the radar: if, for whatever reason, for example an injury, the attacker played less than 17 of the last 20 CH games this season, he would become an unrestricted free agent (group 6) in under a clause protecting athletes who play few matches before the age of 25. Could the Habs be tempted to trade him? His agent, Neil Sheehy, thinks not. According to him, it is “clear” that the team wants to offer him a new contract, a wish that his client shares.

According to the NHL’s most connected journalists, it seems thatArtturi Lehkonen remains the most coveted player for the Canadiens. Last Friday, TSN’s Darren Dreger wrote that the Finn was receiving “high interest” across the circuit. Pierre LeBrun, also from TSN, estimated the chances of him being traded at “50-50”. According to him, Kent Hughes would demand a first-round pick or a top prospect in return. No new information surfaced over the weekend on this, however.

In the NHL

A day without dramatic tension is not a real day at the Toronto Maple Leafs. A few hours before getting their hands on Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell, from the Seattle Kraken, in return for three draft picks (2^and round 2022, 2^and round 2023 and 3^and 2024 round), the Leafs placed goaltender Petr Mrázek on waivers. The 30-year-old Czech, who is having a miserable season, still has to pocket 3.8 million in each of the next two seasons. The Torontonians also signed Finn Harri Säteri, who previously played in the KHL. Since he wasn’t playing in North America this season, he too had to be placed on waivers, so any team could claim him by 2 p.m. Monday. Säteri, 32, has just won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

It was believed that the Tampa Bay Lightning had finished shopping by acquiring Brandon Hagel for a hefty price on Friday, but general manager Julien BriseBois had one more trick up his sleeve. On Sunday, he acquired Nick Paul from the Ottawa Senators in return for Quebec’s Mathieu Joseph and a fourth-round pick. The Senators kept 44.5% of Paul’s salary. The Lightning thus gets their hands on a strong forward (6 ft 3 in and 224 lb) who will strengthen their last two lines. As for Joseph, he was stuck behind a roster of star forwards in Tampa. He will become a restricted free agent after the season.