Over the next few weeks we will be breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.
After a down season in 2015-16 where they missed the postseason, the Canadiens rebounded a year later, earning the top spot in the Atlantic Division. However, the challenges they had scoring in the second half of the season carried over into the playoffs and as a result, they were eliminated by the Rangers in the first round.
After the big trade that saw P.K. Subban shipped to Nashville for Shea Weber last summer, more changes are expected this offseason although not quite to that extent. One of those changes will come through the expansion draft where as things stand, they could potentially lose a long-time veteran or an intriguing youngster to the Golden Knights. Here’s a closer look at their situation.
Eligible Players (Non-UFA)
Forwards:
Paul Byron, Daniel Carr, Connor Crisp, Phillip Danault, Jacob de la Rose, Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Gallagher, Charles Hudon, Stefan Matteau, Torrey Mitchell, Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec, Andrew Shaw, Chris Terry
Defense:
Nathan Beaulieu, Jordie Benn, Brandon Davidson, Alexei Emelin, Keegan Lowe, Nikita Nesterov, Jeff Petry (NMC), Zach Redmond, Dalton Thrower, Shea Weber
Goalies:
Al Montoya, Carey Price (NMC)
Notable Exemptions
F Artturi Lehkonen, G Charlie Lindgren, F Michael McCarron, D Jakub Jerabek, F Nikita Scherbak, D Mikhail Sergachev
Key Decisions
In the time leading up to the trade deadline, it felt as if GM Marc Bergevin may have been hedging against losing a defenseman to Vegas. He made three separate deals to add defensive depth with the acquisitions of Nesterov, Davidson, and Benn. The first two look like locks to be left unprotected while Benn certainly presents an interesting case.
Between Petry’s NMC and Weber’s status as their top blueliner, those two are locks to be protected while it’s unlikely that they’ll opt to not go with the standard 7-3-1 format. That leaves just one spot up for grabs between Benn, Beaulieu, and Emelin. Emelin’s contract ($4.1MM for one more year) makes him a likely candidate to be left unprotected but the same can’t be said for the other two.
Upon being acquired, Benn solidified Montreal’s third pairing and became a go-to player on the penalty kill. He has two years left on his deal at a cap hit of $1.1MM which is pretty good value for a regular blueliner. Benn can also play as left and a right defender and that type of versatility isn’t the easiest to find.
As for Beaulieu, the former first rounder has shown flashes of legitimate top four potential but has also made some tough mistakes in his own end to the point where he was a healthy scratch in the postseason finale. He took a big step forward offensively this season and at the age of 24, there’s a case to be made that there’s still some upside. It would be tough for Montreal to risk losing a player like that for nothing. The last defensive protection spot will come down to these two assuming no trades are made between now and the submission deadline and it won’t be an easy decision either way.
Up front, there are a few choices that Bergevin will have to make. Alexander Radulov is set to become an unrestricted free agent and will be one of the top players available on the open market. There’s mutual interest in a return but there’s no doubt that the Golden Knights have the financial wherewithal to make him a sizable offer during their negotiation period in the days leading up to the draft. If a deal isn’t done between now and then, there’s a case to be made that he could still be worth protecting, just to make sure Vegas can’t up the ante on the bidding early on.
The Canadiens have a pair of young forwards who have had some NHL success but have also struggled at times in Carr and de la Rose. Carr showed a bit of a scoring touch back in 2015-16 but took a step back this season in both the NHL and AHL. He still has one year left on his deal with a $725K cap hit. As for de la Rose, his best impression came as a 19 year old where he played nearly half a season and looked like a core checker of the future. His offensive game hasn’t exactly developed though and while he’s a center with some size in an organization lacking both those elements, his upside is starting to look a bit limited although he would still fit in nicely as a fourth liner with several years of team control. He will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Montreal’s center depth isn’t particularly strong so at the outset, it would only make sense that the team would want to protect what they have. That may not be the case when it comes to Plekanec. The veteran of parts of 13 NHL seasons (all with the Canadiens) had a down year in 2016-17, posting 28 points, the lowest he has put up in any full season. He still brings defensive value to the table but with another year left on his deal with a $6MM cap hit, he may be a safe option to expose. If Vegas opted to take him, that would open up a lot more financial flexibility for Montreal this summer.
Then there’s Hudon. He has been one of the top goal scorers at the AHL the last two years but hasn’t really had much of a look with the big club, getting into just six career NHL games (where he collected four assists). There are questions about his skating but his scoring touch in the minors will make him an intriguing option for Vegas GM George McPhee if Montreal decides to leave him unprotected. Given their own scoring woes, Hudon is someone that the Canadiens may decide is too important to leave exposed despite his lack of NHL experience.
Beyond Radulov, the only other prominent unrestricted free agent the Canadiens have is Markov. The 38 year old has solely been with Montreal since they drafted him in 1998 and he has already expressed an interest in returning as well. Given his age, Markov isn’t the type of player Vegas is likely to target nor would it be likely that Markov would entertain the idea of going to an expansion team at this stage of his career.
Projected Protection List
F Paul Byron
F Phillip Danault
F Alex Galchenyuk
F Brendan Gallagher
F Charles Hudon
F Max Pacioretty
F Andrew Shaw
D Nathan Beaulieu
D Jeff Petry (NMC)
D Shea Weber
Out of the unprotected players, Benn highlights several blueliners that could step in and help right away while Plekanec would be one of the better centers available. Although he’d be pricey, he’s also the type of player they could flip for younger assets at the trade deadline. If Radulov is still unsigned, a significant offer could be made to lure in a legitimate top line winger which would be quite the coup. Or he could go with a youngster up front (whoever isn’t protected between Hudon and de la Rose most likely) and get someone that will be cost controlled for a few years still through the RFA system while being able to contribute right away. McPhee should have a few interesting players to choose from the Canadiens assuming no side deal is made between now and the draft.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The common rumour going around is Montreal will try their damnedest to deal Beaulieu pre-Expansion and protect Benn. Don’t know how feasible that will be but that appears to be the plan.
Go get Drouin!
I’d offer sheet Drouin or Kuznetsov in a heartbeat.