According to Eric Engels of Sportsnet, the Montreal Canadiens will not pursue KHL free agent forward Vadim Shipachyov. The Canadiens just inked their own KHL star today in Jakub Jerabek, but have decided to avoid a bidding war over the older Shipachyov. The 30-year old is widely expected to come to the NHL this season, and has been previously been rumored to be looking for a deal worth up to $5.5MM annually.
The Canadiens are clearly looking for upgrades offensively after being bounced from the playoffs by the New York Rangers while scoring just eleven goals in the six-game series. Their best playoff performer Alexander Radulov is a free agent this summer, and though he has been clear about a desire to stay in Montreal, there is no guarantee that a deal is completed before he hits the open market and sees his price go up even further. While Shipachyov is clearly a strong scoring threat—he scored 26 goals and 76 points in 50 games this season, trailing only Ilya Kovalchuk on SKA St. Petersburg—he comes with some of the same problems that they currently have at center, with a less-developed defensive game and lack of physical presence.
With a new contract for Radulov due, and Carey Price’s eventual extension looming over Montreal this summer they’ll likely be looking in the trade market for an upgrade down the middle of the ice. Suddenly with a ton of defensive depth on the left side, they could dip into their prospect cupboard to find the player they need instead of risking a big contract on an unproven KHL star.