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What Your Team Is Thankful For: Montreal Canadiens

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Montreal Canadiens.

Who are the Canadiens thankful for?

Mike Matheson

Mike Matheson has had a tale of two careers.

He was good in his first few seasons in the NHL with the Florida Panthers, showcasing his terrific skating and his ability to carry the puck out of the defensive zone. But shortly after signing an eight-year extension the warts in his game began to show and he became a lightning rod for criticism in the Sunshine State.

It wasn’t long after that Matheson was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins along with Colton Sceviour for Patric Hornqvist. Matheson was able to rehabilitate his game and looked like a good fit with the Penguins long-term. However, Penguins general manager Ron Hextall inexplicably wanted to change up the Penguins’ defense and in one day bulldozed his defense core by trading John Marino to New Jersey and Matheson to the Canadiens. Both trades have been a disaster for the Penguins, but the Matheson one stings for several reasons.

Since coming over to Montreal, the 29-year-old Matheson has dressed in 79 games, during that time he has 13 goals and 42 assists and has averaged almost 25 minutes a night in ice-time. He has been a catalyst for the Canadiens offense, and a mentor to many of Montreal’s young defensemen.

Although he has dealt with some injury issues, Matheson has been a driving force for the Canadiens and one that should continue to be an important piece for them in the coming seasons.

What are the Canadiens thankful for?

The Jeff Petry trades.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens made a trade back in July 2022 that sent defenseman Matheson to Pittsburgh in exchange for veteran defenseman Petry and Ryan Poehling. It was a questionable trade at the time for the Penguins as they were giving up a much younger defenseman for a 36-year-old defender with an inflated cap hit. A year after the deal, it’s safe to say that the trade was an absolute heist by the Canadiens. Jeff Petry has been traded twice since the original trade and Poehling was non-tendered and signed with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Petry was traded by the Penguins to the Canadiens this past August in a move that Pittsburgh had to make to facilitate the Erik Karlsson trade. The Penguins traded Petry, goalie Casey DeSmith, forward Nathan Legare and a 2025 second-round pick in exchange for Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick. Hoffman was then moved to the Sharks and Pitlick has toiled in the AHL.

The trade was a great move for Montreal to acquire two futures while unloading two bad contracts. But they weren’t done yet. The Canadiens then traded Petry to the Detroit Red Wings for little-used defenseman Gustav Lindstrom and a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2025. Finally, Montreal was able to complete the trade tree by shipping DeSmith to the Vancouver Canucks for Tanner Pearson and a 2025 third-round pick.

When all was said and done, the Canadiens were able to turn Pitlick, Hoffman, and a retained salary on Petry into Legare, Pearson, Lindstrom, and three 2025 draft picks. It was a creative move by Montreal, that will help them continue to build up their farm system or allow them to acquire additional players should they be more of a contending team in 2025.

What would the Canadiens be even more thankful for?

A Josh Anderson resurgence.

Many critics panned the Canadiens’ trade for Anderson back in October 2020 and for good reason, the trade was followed by the announcement of a seven-year $38.5MM extension that seemed like a massive overpay. In hindsight, it probably was, given that Anderson is carrying a $5.5MM cap hit and hasn’t come close to the 47 points he put up during the 2018-19 season. Since joining Montreal, Anderson has topped out at 32 points (twice), but he did have 40 goals over the two seasons before the start of the 2023-24 season.

This year has seen Anderson struggle more than he has in previous seasons. Through 31 games, the 29-year-old has just four goals and five assists and has been a drag on almost everyone he has played with this season. It’s been a frustrating season for the Burlington, Ontario native, one that he has acknowledged publicly. Just two nights ago, Anderson had an incredible game against the New York Islanders in which he scored two goals and was named the first star of the game. Afterwards, during a post-game interview, Anderson was serenaded by the Canadiens faithful and seemed genuinely humbled by the applause. With any luck, Anderson can use the game to catapult himself back to the heights he experienced when he put up 27 goals with the Columbus Blue Jackets five years ago.

If he can get back to his game, it could go a long way to the Canadiens making an unlikely push for a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Eastern Conference.

What should be on the Canadiens holiday wish list?

A goal-scoring forward.

The Canadiens forwards need to score more as they rank near the bottom of the NHL in goals and are currently on pace to not have a single 25-goal scorer. Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki both registered 26 goals last year but have just eight each thus far through 31 games, while Sean Monahan and Brendan Gallagher are far removed from the back-to-back 30-goal seasons, they each enjoyed from 2017-2019.

The Canadiens need a game-breaker, which is much easier said than done. Most teams are looking for this type of scorer and they are almost impossible to acquire in today’s NHL. The Canadiens do have a surplus of young defensemen they could choose to trade from, but they would need to find a trading partner that is interested in trading away one of the most coveted pieces in today’s NHL.

The Canadiens have been patient with their rebuild and have made some savvy moves to acquire good young prospects and defensive depth. At some point in the near future, they are going to have to take a risk on an offensively gifted forward. Whether that happens via trade or free agency remains to be seen but they will need to acquire a forward that can put the puck in the net.

Colton Sceviour Re-Signs In Switzerland

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It was quite the European debut for long-time NHL forward Colton Sceviour in 2022-23. Joining SC Bern of the Swiss NL, the gritty forward put up 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points, only trailing other foreign-born skaters Chris DiDomenico and Oscar Lindberg.

The club was clearly impressed, as they have inked Sceviour to another one-year contract for 2023-24. Team director Andrew Ebbett called him one of their most “consistent” players, a work ethic that he was well known for in North America as well.

Now 34, Sceviour played over 500 games in the NHL, never scoring more than 11 goals or 26 points in a single season. But he maintained his spot in the lineup—playing for the Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Edmonton Oilers—through attention to detail, a willingness to engage physically, and never-ending energy on the penalty kill.

It appears, with this new contract, that we can close the book on his NHL career. Sceviour scored 66 goals and 156 points over his 535 regular season games.

Colton Sceviour Signs In Switzerland

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After more than 500 games in the NHL, Colton Sceviour is headed overseas. The veteran forward has signed a one-year contract with SC Bern of the Swiss National League, ending his time in North America for now.

Sceviour, 33, found himself back in the minor leagues last season for the first time in nearly a decade, playing 22 games for the Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate. He added 35 appearances for Edmonton as well but failed to suit up in a single playoff game and will now try his luck in Switzerland.

Probably underrated for most of his career, Sceviour was a solid bottom-six contributor for many years with the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers. In 535 regular season games, he tallied 66 goals and 156 points, while contributing in all situations. A useful penalty-killer, he racked up nine short-handed points over the years, and rarely took penalties of his own.

At 33, it isn’t out of the question that Sceviour will make a return at some point but it also isn’t very likely. His NHL career may be over, though another stint in the AHL may happen eventually.

Josh Archibald To Be Activated Off LTIR

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After what’s been a season-long doubt with myocarditis, Edmonton Oilers winger is expected to come off long-term injured reserve, per The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman. He could be an option to play for the team in the coming days.

In order to make room on the active roster, forward Colton Sceviour and goalie Stuart Skinner were assigned to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors today, according to Nugent-Bowman.

However, the games he’s legally able to play in after his return could be limited. Archibald is still unvaccinated against COVID-19, and due to border complications and local restrictions, it’s unclear how available Archibald could actually be for the team.

Over the past two seasons, Archibald had played 114 games for the Oilers, tallying 19 goals and 15 assists for 34 points. Now 29, Archibald will have to compete in what’s become a crowded Oilers bottom-six group.

Colton Sceviour Clears Waivers

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Saturday: Sceviour has cleared waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.  He was assigned to the taxi squad with Lagesson being brought back to the active roster.

Friday: The Edmonton Oilers had to clear a roster spot for Evander Kane, who is expected to play tomorrow night against the Montreal Canadiens, so Colton Sceviour is the odd man out. Sceviour has been placed on waivers today by the team, while William Lagesson was also assigned to the taxi squad.

Sceviour, 32, played just 7:57 last night against the Nashville Predators, receiving just 12 shifts and none in the final six minutes of the third period. His role on the team had diminished throughout the season, and he’s now available to others for the low cost of a waiver claim.

Signed to a one-year, two-way contract that carries a cap hit of $750K at the NHL level, he could potentially be a nice fourth-line addition for teams dealing with injury problems or inconsistency from their depth players, as Sceviour does have more than 500 games of experience. In 30 games this year for Edmonton, he has five points and was a key penalty killer for the club, getting almost 20% of his ice time short-handed.

Devin Shore To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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Nov 8: According to Mark Spector of Sportsnet, the Oilers have moved Shore to injured reserve and recalled Ryan McLeod from the AHL.

Nov 7: Edmonton Oilers forward Devin Shore will be out four to six weeks with a lower-body injury, per Tom Gazzola of TSN and NHL Network.

Shore had bounced around the Oilers’ bottom-six forward group so far this season but stayed mostly in a fourth-line role. He’d scored a goal and an assist through eight games, averaging just 8:37 per game.

Tyler Benson and Colton Sceviour are the two extra forwards on Edmonton’s active roster. They’ll both likely get opportunities to draw into the lineup in Shore’s absence. Neither have them have registered a point this year in three and two games, respectively.

Shore signed a two-year, $1.7MM extension with the team on June 9, prior to the opening of free agency. The 27-year-old forward has struggled to maintain a regular spot in an NHL lineup over the past three seasons after playing all 82 games in his first two full NHL seasons with the Dallas Stars in 2016-17 and 2017-18.

Given his timeline, Shore is likely to miss between 12 and 19 games.

Edmonton Oilers Sign Colton Sceviour

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As expected, the Edmonton Oilers will sign Colton Sceviour now that the season has begun. The depth forward has inked a one-year, two-way deal worth $750K at the NHL level. Sceviour has earned himself a contract after attending Oilers camp on a PTO. PuckPedia reports that the deal includes a $200K AHL salary, with a solid $450K minor league guarantee.

In Edmonton, the Oilers are dealing with a difficult start to the season as both third goaltender Alex Stalock and depth forward Josh Archibald are out indefinitely with heart conditions. Their absence complicates–but actually adds some flexibility to–the team’s cap situation, allowing them to add a player like Sceviour after placing multiple contracts on long-term injured reserve yesterday.

With the Sceviour news, Archibald will join Stalock and Oscar Klefbom on LTIR, while Zack Kassian has been moved to regular injured reserve. Kyle Turris has also been recalled from the Bakersfield Condors now that there is room for his full cap hit, while Philip Broberg is on his way down to the AHL.

The team’s newest forward offers plenty of versatility in a depth role, including a bit of scoring upside and penalty-killing ability. Sceviour scored five goals and ten points in 46 games last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but has reached double-digit goal totals twice in his career. In Edmonton, he’ll serve as nothing more than a fourth-line player in all likelihood, but for a team that has struggled desperately to find quality NHL depth in recent years, his presence will be a welcome one.

Snapshots: Tkachuk, Sceviour, Kane, Blackwell

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While there has been a suggestion in recent days that signing bonuses have been a big part of the holdup in contract talks for Senators RFA winger Brady Tkachuk, that isn’t the case, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.  The scribe suggests that at this point, the biggest holdup is term and total salary in each option.  Ottawa’s known preference is a max-term eight-year deal while Tkachuk’s camp appears to be leaning towards preferring a bridge deal.  With Ottawa’s regular season getting underway on Thursday, time is running out to have the 22-year-old in the lineup on opening night.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Oilers are believed to have offered forward Colton Sceviour a two-way contract, suggests Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins. Sceviour attended camp with Edmonton on a PTO, getting into seven of eight games while collecting three assists.  The 32-year-old had 10 points in 46 games with Pittsburgh last season and is believed to be weighing his other options at the moment before making a final decision on whether or not to accept their offer.
  • The Sharks have released their season-opening roster and veteran winger Evander Kane is not on it. Instead, the team indicated that the 30-year-old is “is considered a non-roster player pending completion of the NHL’s investigation”.  Kane did not participate in training camp and there is some hope that the investigation will wrap up over the next few days.  Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News relays (Twitter link) that their cap situation as it pertains to Kane’s absence is still to be determined.
  • Kraken forward Colin Blackwell is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, notes Marisa Ingemi of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). The 28-year-old didn’t play at all in the preseason with the injury and it doesn’t appear as if he’s close to returning.  That’s another regular player that will be missing on opening night on top of the five that are currently in COVID protocol.

Edmonton Oilers Sign Colton Sceviour To PTO

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The Edmonton Oilers will have another experienced forward at training camp, as Colton Sceviour has been signed to a professional tryout.

Just yesterday we listed Sceviour as one of the players still available as a PTO candidate, given his 500 games of NHL experience. Last season the 32-year-old scored five goals and ten points in 46 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins, while averaging fewer than ten minutes a night.

With career-highs of 11 goals and 26 points, Sceviour isn’t going to bring a ton of offensive ability to the table but can still be a relatively useful bottom-six player. He’s joining an Oilers roster that is anything but settled in that regard, with players like Devin Shore and Brendan Perlini in the mix for the fourth line.

Just today, the team announced that top forward prospect Dylan Holloway will be sidelined for the next several months after wrist surgery, which also could complicate the Oilers’ plans. Someone like Sceviour could easily fill a 13th or 14th forward role for the first few months of the season at least while the team determines where their young talent is best utilized.

Of course, it is important to remember that professional tryouts are not necessarily only a showcase for the team that signs them. Sceviour will be able to train and compete against other NHL players while he looks for work around the league. For the Oilers specifically, the team is over the cap until they place Oscar Klefbom on long-term injured reserve, meaning a contract for Sceviour could also come down the line after some other transactional gymnastics take place.

Poll: Best Available PTO Candidate

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There were some hints that the PTO market was about to open up. Within the first week of September, the Colorado Avalanche penciled in Artem Anisimov and Jack Johnson and the Pittsburgh Penguins brought in local product Matt Bartkowski. However, with the New Jersey Devils announcing three PTO’s today, including two forwards who played in 45+ games this season in Jimmy Vesey and Mark Jankowski, the floodgates have officially opened on the tryout market. Once the PTO ball starts rolling, it usually only picks up steam. With plenty of talent still available among unsigned unrestricted free agents, this season should be no different. Rather than who will be next to sign, as many names could shortly come off the market (at least temporarily), who would you want your favorite team to bring to camp?

What makes a PTO different than a signing is the lack of commitment. Sure, a low-salary contract that can be buried in the minors is reasonably similar, but even that is a commitment to using up a limited number of roster slots and taking play time from prospects in the AHL. A PTO is merely a training camp invitation to see whether an available player could be a fit for your team. Perhaps it is a veteran who may have gas left in the tank – or may not. Or perhaps it is a young player who has hit a rough patch in his development but just needs a chance to show his upside. It could also be a role player in his prime who just needs a chance to prove he can be useful to the organization.

It’s hard to ignore some of the future Hall of Famers who fit the first description. 44-year-old Zdeno Chara, 41-year-old Patrick Marleau, and 36-year-old Eric Staal each played more games this past season than any other player still available. The question is, can they do it again? Fortunately, a PTO doesn’t require that question to be answered without getting an early look. All three of Chara, Marleau, and Staal have seemingly done more than enough in their respective careers to earn a contract if they want one, but after each had a down year entering a tight, flat-cap market, could they settle for a PTO? Travis Zajac may not be headed for the Hall, but the respected veteran is coming off of a better year than anyone else still unsigned and was expected to command a contract. Could he too end up on a tryout?

Other veterans who might be more likely to take a tryout to extend their careers could include Jason Demers, Bobby Ryan, James Neal, Frans Nielsen, or Devan Dubnyk. Demers and Dubnyk are both arguably the best players still available at their respective position, but that isn’t saying much for an early-September market. It still may not hurt for a team to try to lock up that security on a PTO in case depth is needed. Ryan was playing very well with the Red Wings last season before his season was derailed by injury. At 34, coming back from a long-term ailment could be difficult, but a PTO would allow teams to check on his health. Neal and Nielsen have fallen far from their spots as elite NHLers in the past few years, but could they still have a resurgence left?

Among young players looking for another chance is Alex Galchenyuk, 27, who had the makings of a breakout season brewing after a move to the Toronto Maple Leafs last season and could be ready to build on that momentum. Galchenyuk can be a tough system fit, but a PTO would allow for a team to test his abilities with their personnel. At just 25, Michael Dal Colle may actually be the best young hidden gem among unsigned players. In fact, it is surprising to 2014 top-five pick still available, especially given that he showed signs of improvement in 2019-20 before the Islanders’ depth forced him to take a back seat role last season. Dal Colle could be worth the look, but could a team glean enough in camp without much NHL experience to rely upon as supporting evidence. The same could be said for Frederik Gauthier. One of the biggest forwards in the NHL and good defensive forward, Gauthier’s played sparingly last season within the Coyotes organization and was limited exclusively to fourth line minutes prior in Toronto. Could a brief training camp appearance prove to a team that he is not one-dimensional?

As for those players in their prime who don’t have to prove that they can play in the NHL or can still play in the NHL, it is more about showing that they possess the tools to fill a specific role for a team. Those looking for some stability and minutes on the blue line should show interest in Sami Vatanen, Erik Gustafsson, or Ben Hutton, who have both shown that they can still play. However, are they a better option than what most teams already have on their bottom pair or waiting for opportunity in the AHL? Up front, a team in need of skill could eye Nikita Gusev or Alex Chiasson while those seeking defense have options such as Colton Sceviour and Tobias Rieder. Like the defensemen, all of these forwards surely could play in the NHL this season, but are they superior options to what teams already have? And can a PTO prove otherwise?

There are strengths and weaknesses to all of these players, as well as to what they would be able to prove on a training camp tryout. At the end of the day, at this point in the season value is subjective based on what each team feels could be an area of need in the coming season and who they feel could prove themselves worthy of a contract with just a short PTO. So what say you? Who would you most like to see your favorite team bring in on a PTO?

[mobile users vote here]

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