Pro Hockey Rumors

With training camps now upon us, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective.  Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled.  Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team has accomplished this offseason.  Next up is a look at Montreal.

The Canadiens were hoping to be in the mix for the playoffs last season and a late-season surge not only allowed them to do that, but it also allowed them to sneak into the postseason, perhaps a little earlier than anticipated.  While they were quickly dispatched by Washington in the opening round, their movement this summer suggests that they’re expecting to take another step forward in their rebuilding process this season.

Draft

2-34 – F Alexander Zharovsky, Ufa (MHL)
3-69 – F Hayden Paupanekis, Kelowna (WHL)
3-81 – D Bryce Pickford, Medicine Hat (WHL)
3-82 – G Arseni Radkov, Tyumen (MHL)
4-113 – F L.J. Mooney, U.S. U18 (NTDP)
5-145 – G Alexis Cournoyer, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
6-177 – D Carlos Handel, Halifax (QMJHL)
6-189 – D Andrew MacNiel, Kitchener (OHL)
7-209 – D Maxon Vig, Cedar Rapids (USHL)

It’s not very often that a team trying to emerge from a rebuild trades two first-round picks instead of adding to its prospect cupboard but the Canadiens did just that, dealing the 16th and 17th selections (forward Victor Eklund and defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson) as part of a draft-day swap that saw them add a top-pairing defenseman, a move we’ll get to shortly.

They also made a pair of moves on the second day of the draft, trading up for their first two selections, including two second-round selections to get Zharovsky.  The winger showed lots of raw offensive skill in Russia’s junior league last season before making his KHL debut in the playoffs.  He’s likely at least a couple of years away from being considered to move to North America but if he develops as planned, he could be a top-six piece down the road.

Paupanekis was the other player they moved up for.  A big center who showed some flashes of offensive upside with a capable defensive game, they’re hoping that he could be a bottom-six option down the road.  Pickford was picked in his second year of eligibility after averaging nearly a point per game in the regular season while adding 24 points in 18 playoff contests.  He’s eligible to turn pro next season and could be an intriguing offense-first blueliner in a few seasons.

The rest of Montreal’s selections qualify as longer-term projects.  Mooney is the headliner from the list, a player whose skill level is pretty high offensively with a ceiling higher than many drafted ahead of him.  However, he’d also be one of the smallest players in the NHL if he makes it which undoubtedly contributed to his drop on draft day but midway through the draft, Montreal felt it was worth the gamble.

Trade Acquisitions

F Zachary Bolduc (from Blues)
D Noah Dobson (from Islanders)
D Gannon Laroque (from Sharks)

The Canadiens swung arguably the biggest trade of the summer to bring Dobson in from New York.  Included in the swap was an eight-year, $76MM sign-and-trade contract, making him the highest-paid skater in franchise history in terms of AAV.  Clearly, Montreal feels that his drop in points to 39 (down from 70 the year before) is something that isn’t going to be continued while they’ll be counting on him to take a step forward in his defensive game as well.  If all goes according to plan, they’ll have a right-shot top-pairing defender locked up through his prime years, checking off a key part of their rebuilding checklist although with Lane Hutson in the fold, he may not get as many prime offensive chances as he did with the Islanders.

Bolduc comes over in a one-for-one swap with St. Louis that saw a pair of 2021 first-round picks get moved for each other.  Bolduc had a strong second half last season, ultimately coming up just short of 20 goals while also bringing a bit of physicality to their bottom six.  Montreal will be expecting him to pick up where he left off and fill a similar role with them this season.  As for Laroque, he was acquired merely as a contract matcher in the swap with the Sharks.  He didn’t play at all last season and wasn’t invited to camp this year, suggesting his playing days are likely done.

UFA Signings

F Alex Belzile (one year, $775K)*
F Sammy Blais (one year, $775K)
D Nathan Clurman (one year, $775K)*
D Marc Del Gaizo (one year, $775K)*
G Kaapo Kahkonen (one year, $1.15MM)
F Joe Veleno (one year, $900K)

*-denotes two-way contract
^-denotes re-signing

As has been the case under GM Kent Hughes, Montreal largely stayed on the sidelines when it came to free agent additions this summer.  Their most expensive signing – Kahkonen – is likely to start in the minors (assuming he clears waivers), a sign of how little they spent here.  Veleno, bought out by Seattle back in June, is someone who should break camp with the Canadiens but is likely ticketed for a limited role to start the year.  Blais is on the borderline for a roster spot while the others are all ticketed for the minors.

RFA Re-Signings

G Jakub Dobes (two years, $1.9MM)
F Sean Farrell (one year, $775K)*
D Jayden Struble (two years, $2.8MM)
D William Trudeau (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes two-way contract

Struble’s first two seasons were nearly mirror images of each other.  There were times when he flashed top-four upside and other stretches where he struggled to simply get in the lineup.  This bridge deal allows both sides more time to see if there’s a full-time spot for him in Montreal while it’s front-loaded, yielding a cheaper qualifying offer two years from now.

Dobes started the season in the minors but a late-December recall saw him get off to quite the start, winning his first five games, including several against some of the better teams in the league.  On the flip side, he struggled more down the stretch and with fewer than 20 games played (including playoffs), he’s still rather inexperienced.  Montreal will be hoping that he can shoulder a bit more of the workload after Sam Montembeault was among the league leaders in games played last season.

Departures

F Joel Armia (signed with Kings, two years, $5MM)
F Alex Barre-Boulet (signed with Avalanche, one year, $775K)*
F Christian Dvorak (signed with Flyers, one year, $5.4MM)
F Brandon Gignac (signed with Kloten, NL)
F Rafael Harvey-Pinard (signed with Penguins, one year, $775K)*
F Emil Heineman (trade with Islanders)
D Noel Hoefenmayer (signed with Sochi, KHL)
G Connor Hughes (signed with Lausanne, NL)
G Gustav Lindstrom (signed with Djurgarden, SHL)
D Logan Mailloux (trade with Blues)
F Michael Pezzetta (signed with Maple Leafs, two years, $1.55MM)
G Cayden Primeau (trade with Hurricanes)
G Carey Price (trade with Sharks)
D David Savard (retirement)
F Xavier Simoneau (NHL rights relinquished but signed AHL deal with Laval)

*-denotes two-way contract

In the NHL, the center market is often a market of its own.  The contract given to Dvorak is a good example of that.  He has yet to record 40 points in a season but his defensive game and faceoff ability coupled with a scarcity of available options yielded this deal, one that agents will undoubtedly be trying to use as a benchmark moving forward.  Armia was another longer-term bottom-six piece in Montreal who is moving on.  While he hasn’t produced enough offensively to live up to his first-round draft selection, he has carved out a viable career as a strong checker.  Filling their roles defensively could be challenging for the Canadiens this season.

Heineman was the other piece in the Dobson swap.  He got off to a strong start in his first full NHL season before being hit by a car in Utah, landing him on IR and upon his return, his production dropped.  Nonetheless, the Isles feel he still has another level to get to.  Still just 23, Heineman has been traded three times now for quality players, Sam Bennett, Tyler Toffoli, and Dobson.  Pezzetta was a regular on the roster for the past few years but played sparingly overall, being healthy scratched more than 50 times.

Savard was another fixture on Montreal’s penalty kill and was eighth in total blocked shots last season.  However, he was struggling as the season went on and knew by the playoffs that he was nearing an end to his playing days.  Dobson is his replacement, though he’ll play a much bigger role overall.  Dobson’s addition also was enough security to part with Mailloux in the Bolduc trade.  Mailloux has shown himself to be a strong offensive defenseman in the minors and even in his brief taste of NHL action.  His defensive game is an area of some concern and the Blues will be hoping to help him take some steps forward on that front as he looks to be a full-time regular for them this season.

With Price entering the final year of his contract and an early-September bonus paid, the Canadiens gave up a fifth-round pick to send him to the Sharks, allowing themselves to get out of LTIR.  He hasn’t played since a five-game stint late in 2021-22 and won’t play again.  Primeau was the backup heading into last season but struggled mightily, leading to his clearing waivers and Dobes coming up.  However, he finished strong in the minors which was enough for Carolina to send a seventh-round pick for him to add to their goalie depth.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Price trade significantly altered Montreal’s cap situation for the upcoming season.  Instead of being several million deep into LTIR and facing a certain bonus overage penalty for the fourth year in a row, they have over $4.5MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.  While they’ll want to keep a significant chunk of that for bonuses (around half of that), that should still allow them to bank ample in-season flexibility to cover injuries and, if they’re in a push for a playoff spot, try to make a late-season addition or two.

Key Questions

What Will Laine Bring To The Table? Patrik Laine’s first season with Montreal was certainly eventful.  He suffered a knee injury in the preseason, causing him to miss nearly two months.  Upon returning, he became a power play dynamo, finishing fourth in the league in power play goals scored with 15 (two off the lead) despite missing 30 games.  However, he only managed five goals at even strength and as the season went on, his playing time and role dropped amid concerns about his five-on-five play.  The end result was a career-low ATOI.  Now healthy, he’s entering a contract year and it feels like he’s a big Wild Card heading into the season.  Can he re-establish himself as a legitimate top-six threat at even strength and position himself for a long-term agreement?  Or will he continue to be primarily a power play gunner, something that would have him staring down a significant dip in pay from his $8.7MM AAV.

How Will They Fill The 2C Role? While Montreal made a big move to add Dobson on the back end, they weren’t successful in adding an impact center, something they and many other teams struck out on.  As a result, they enter the season with largely the same options and questions as before.  Can Kirby Dach stay healthy and take a step forward in his development?  While Alex Newhook has started on the wing two straight years, he has finished down the middle each time.  Can he be a full-time option and push for that spot?  Recently, Oliver Kapanen has seen some preseason action in that role but he has just two assists in 18 games thus far in his early NHL career.  Can one of them step up or will that be a weak spot again this season?

What Type Of Impact Will Demidov Have? The Canadiens were able to get Ivan Demidov out of his KHL contract late in the season, allowing him to get into a couple of regular season games and their five playoff outings, showing flashes of the upside that made him the fifth overall pick just a year ago.  Can he have a similar type of impact as fellow countryman Matvei Michkov and give Montreal a second offensive line, something they’ve been lacking for a while?

Photos courtesy of Wendell Cruz and Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.