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Poll: Are The Montreal Canadiens A Playoff Team In 2021-22?

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After making it all the way to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, losing in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens have had one of the most interesting offseasons of any team. That much roster turnover is unusual for a team that made it that far in the playoffs, but a decent portion of it has been out of their control.

A good portion of Montreal’s starting 12 forwards will look different next season. Gone down the middle are Phillip Danault, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Eric Staal. Dvorak will attempt to replace Danault’s shutdown role with a little more offensive touch but less defensive prowess. Kotkaniemi’s third-line role is likely to be replaced by another young center, most probably Jake Evans. Staal’s fourth-line role will likely be comprised of a more defensive-minded pivot in Cedric Paquette. Their group of wingers will look different too, losing out on Tomas Tatar’s two-way play in favor of a power-play specialist in Mike Hoffman. Gone is veteran Corey Perry in the bottom six, being replaced by another veteran presence in Mathieu Perreault.

The team’s defense faces the loss of the team’s captain in Shea Weber. His injury will keep him out for at least this entire season and puts the rest of his career in jeopardy. His absence will be replaced by committee, as youngster Alexander Romanov and new addition David Savard should see more minutes. The left side stays relatively constant from last season, and overseas addition Chris Wideman could challenge for some games as well.

A tandem of Carey Price and Jake Allen returns after a successful regular season campaign.

However, a team that barely squeaked into the playoffs last season returns with some question marks. Full seasons of Jonathan Drouin and Cole Caufield help boost the team, but downgrades from Danault to Dvorak and Tatar to Hoffman raise near-negating doubts. The success of youngsters like Evans and Romanov will be crucial if Montreal wants to make a return to the playoffs in 2022, and they’ll need repeat performances from players such as Jeff Petry and Josh Anderson.

So the question to you, PHR readers, is this: has Montreal done enough this offseason to yield a playoff team in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference? Make your voice heard below:

Mobile users, click here to vote!

Ben Thomas Signs In Sweden

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After grinding through several seasons in the minor leagues, Ben Thomas finally got his chance during the 2020-21 season. The defenseman played in five games for the Tampa Bay Lightning, finally reaching the NHL for the first time. Despite finally making it to the top, Thomas’ 25th birthday passed in May, meaning he became a Group VI unrestricted free agent when the offseason hit.

Now, Thomas is set for a new challenge. The minor league veteran is heading to Sweden to join Leksands IF in the SHL, signing a one-year contract.

Originally selected in the fourth round in 2014, Thomas suited up more than 300 times for the Syracuse Crunch, getting to the Calder Cup Finals in 2017. He had nine points in 16 games this season for Syracuse but was unable to record an NHL point in his short stint with Tampa Bay. There’s no doubt that he’s still young enough to make a return to North America at some point in the future, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll ever get another crack in the NHL.

For now, he’ll be testing himself on a whole new level, but Leksands is also hoping to continue his development and take him even further in his career.

Ben Thomas Drawing Interest In Sweden

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Defenseman Ben Thomas was finally able to crack the NHL this season, skating in five games with the Tampa Bay Lightning in his fifth pro season. However, it was too little too late in terms of NHL experience, as Thomas qualified for Group 6 unrestricted free agency. Yet, it seems as though the interest overseas is greater than any NHL interest that Thomas may have hoped for. Swedish source Expressen reports that the SHL’s Leksands IF has been negotiating with Thomas as they seek a top pair defenseman.

Thomas, 25, was a fourth-round pick of the Lightning in 2014. A productive two-way defenseman in the WHL, Thomas largely translated that ability to the AHL, recording 16+ points in each of his first four seasons with the Syracuse Crunch. However, he took a big step last season, recording nine points in only 16 games, not to mention a +8 rating. After years of being the “next man up” that never actually got called up, Thomas finally earned his chance with five games with Tampa Bay. While he was held scoreless, Thomas contributed defensively and his other underlying numbers were strong in the small sample size. His play across both leagues was at least enough to garner attention from overseas.

Expressen notes that Leksands is actually looking for two top defensemen and have talked to several former NHLers in addition to Thomas. This includes Anton Lindholm, who recently signed in the KHL, and Gustav Olofsson, who like Thomas played on NHL contracts last season. Joe Morrow and Matt Donovan are also in the mix. With a number of notable names on their list of candidates, it is clear that Leksands is serious about adding talent to the blue line. It also stands to reason that Leksands push to sign Thomas, described as “extensive”, could also be drawing the attention of other SHL contenders. Perhaps the opportunity in Sweden, both financially and role, is actually attracting Thomas away from a two-way NHL contract.

Tampa Bay Lightning Avoid Arbitration With Ross Colton

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7:00 PM: The Lightning have officially announced the contract.

1:30 PM: The Tampa Bay Lightning have locked up the player who clinched their recent Stanley Cup, signing Ross Colton to a two-year contract. The deal is worth $1MM in 2021-22 and $1.25MM in 2022-23, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Colton was scheduled for an arbitration hearing on August 16 that will no longer be required.

Colton, 24, scored the Cup-winning goal for the Lightning a month ago, tapping home a backdoor pass from David Savard. The young forward is another example of Tampa Bay’s strong development system, going from a fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft to a regular in the NHL lineup this season. In 30 regular season games as a rookie, Colton managed to score nine goals and 12 points. That goal pace likely won’t continue right away, but just the fact that the team has turned another mid-round pick into an NHL player is a win for the organization.

He didn’t really come out of nowhere though, as Colton found success in each of his years at the University of Vermont before starring for the Syracuse Crunch. In 2019-20 he registered 42 points in 62 games for Syracuse, throwing himself into the mix for a call-up if the Lightning ever needed a versatile player. The fact is that Colton has made himself a valuable player by being able to play center or the wing, score with the top-six, or check with the bottom-six.

Given the fact that Tampa Bay has been forced to watch Tyler Johnson, Yanni Gourde, Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman leave this summer, there should be even more minutes on the table for Colton this season. While it’s not certain how things shake out, he should get quite the opportunity with the defending champs.

For the Lightning, they have now finished their restricted free agent negotiations and can focus on preparing for the regular season. The team is technically over the salary cap right now, but can move Brent Seabrook’s contract to long-term injured reserve when necessary. It appears as though the offseason work is done, but never count out GM Julien BriseBois.

Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Sean Day

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed restricted free agent defenseman Sean Day, who was issued a qualifying offer last month. The one-year, two-way deal will pay Day $750K in the NHL and $100K in the minors with a $125K guarantee, per CapFriendly.

Day, 23, was originally selected in the third round by the New York Rangers in 2016 after being one of the few players to ever receive exceptional status in the OHL. The young defenseman struggled to find his way in the Rangers system, bouncing back and forth between minor league levels, but seemed to turn things around this year with the Syracuse Crunch. In fact, Day recorded 15 points in 29 games with Syracuse, leading all Crunch defenders.

There’s always been a huge ceiling for the 6’3″ Day, who played defense in the OHL at the age of 15, but a lack of consistency has stalled his development. If the Lightning, who have one of the most successful development systems in the entire NHL, can ever unlock the potential, they’ll have found another gem on the scrap heap. Day had his entry-level contract terminated with the Rangers in 2020, only to sign a one-year deal with the Lightning a few weeks later.

Tampa Bay now has just one RFA left to sign in Ross Colton, who is arbitration-eligible. Colton scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Lightning and could be looking at a healthy arbitration award after scoring nine goals and 12 points in 30 games during a successful rookie season. The deadline to file for arbitration is at 4pm today.

Canucks Acquire Spencer Martin

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The Canucks have acquired some extra goaltending depth, announcing the acquisition of Spencer Martin from the Lightning in exchange for future considerations.  There was no mention of what the future consideration could be or what is required for it to transfer.

The 26-year-old signed a one-year contract with Tampa Bay with a cap hit of $800K in the NHL and $105K in the minors back in May but now won’t play a single game under that deal for them.  He spent last season with their AHL affiliate in Syracuse, posting a 7-5-2 record with a 2.83 GAA and a .907 SV% in 15 games.  His only NHL action came in three NHL appearances with Colorado back in 2017.

Tampa Bay had a bit of a logjam between the pipes after they signed Maxime Lagace at the beginning of free agency on Wednesday.  He joins youngsters Hugo Alnefelt and Amir Miftakhov in their system so there was no room for Martin to play.  He’ll have a better shot of seeing playing time in Vancouver as he’ll likely team up with Michael DiPietro in AHL Abbotsford with Arturs Silovs likely heading for the ECHL.

Lightning Re-Sign Boris Katchouk

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The Lightning took care of one of their restricted free agents today, announcing the re-signing of Boris Katchouk to a three-year contract while also confirming the previously-reported three-year deal to Taylor Raddysh.  Both players will have deals with a $758K AAV that is a two-way contract for next season and then converts to a one-way pact for the final two years.  That means the NHL salary in each year of the deal will be the league minimum – $750K in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and $775K in 2023-24.

Katchouk, 23, was a second-round pick of Tampa Bay back in 2016 (44th overall) but he has yet to play in the NHL.  Last season, he posted a career-best 34 points in just 29 games with AHL Syracuse, notable considering that his previous career-high of 32 points came in 60 games back in 2019-20.  That has helped him secure two one-way seasons without even playing an NHL game which doesn’t often happen.

Of course, Tampa Bay’s cap situation plays a role in that.  Katchouk, along with Raddysh and Alex Barre-Boulet whose identically structured deal was announced earlier in the week, figures to be a regular with the Lightning before long as they won’t be able to afford more than players making close to the minimum salary to round out their roster.  To get that low-AAV guarantee for three years means they needed to guarantee an NHL salary for two of them as an incentive to sign now.  As long as Katchouk and the others play reasonably well, it’ll be a low-cost gamble to make.

The Lightning now have just two players left to re-sign in AHL defenseman Sean Day plus center Ross Colton who is arbitration-eligible.  The deadline for filing for a hearing is tomorrow so a decision will need to be made on that front soon.

Tampa Bay Lightning To Re-Sign Taylor Raddysh

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Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien Brisebois name-dropped restricted free agent forward Taylor Raddysh recently when discussing how the team’s recent veteran departures up front combined with their limited salary cap space would push young, affordable players into regular roles. Raddysh’s new deal certainly seems to back that up. CapFriendly reports that the Bolts and Raddysh have come to terms on a new three-year deal with a $758K AAV, the structure of which implies the 23-year-old winger is set to become a lineup regular. The breakdown is as follows:

21-22: Two-way, $750K NHL, $100K AHL ($125K guaranteed)
22-23: One-way, $750K
23-24: One-way, $775K

Raddysh may not have any NHL games to his credit just yet, but the Lightning clearly believe that he is ready for the opportunity – and then some. A three-year deal, two of which are one-way and one of which is non-minimum salary, is more than Tampa needed to give to the untested forward, but seemingly wanted to display their faith in the big winger.

The 6’3″, 210-lb. forward is a rare homegrown prospect still in the Tampa pipeline, having been drafted in the second round in 2016. Raddysh was a well-regarded prospect, topping 100 points in the OHL in 2016-17 for a stacked Erie Otters team that included numerous current NHLers, including Tampa’s own Anthony Cirelli and Erik Cernak and brother Darren Raddysh. His offense has not slowed much in the pros either, recording 110 points in 159 AHL games, including scoring at a better than point-per-game pace this season.

With few right shot forwards pegged for a roster spot in Tampa Bay, Raddysh has an outside shot of cracking the roster right away this season. The big winger may have been blocked slightly by the recent addition of Corey Perry, but he also has a great opportunity to learn a lot from the talented veteran.

Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Alex Barre-Boulet

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed Alex Barre-Boulet to a three-year contract. The first year is a two-way deal that will carry a salary of $750K at the NHL level, the second year is one-way and comes with a salary of $750K and the third year is one-way with a salary of $775K. The contract’s average annual value at the NHL level will be $758,333. Barre-Boulet was a restricted free agent coming off his entry-level contract.

The 24-year-old forward is another one of Tampa’s undrafted development projects and appears ready to take on a full-time role in the NHL. After dominating the AHL with 124 points in his first two seasons, he made his debut with Tampa Bay this season, playing in 15 games. Though he had just three goals during that span, he was an excellent possession player and should be a fixture in the lineup this season.

Signing for three years at the league minimum is obviously a big win for the Lightning, even if he’s just a part-time player moving forward. Barre-Boulet obviously was willing to give up a bit of potential salary for the security of a multi-year contract and by doing so actually made it easier for the team to keep him in the NHL. Tampa Bay, who have lost several players this summer because of the salary cap, will need players on cheap contracts as they continue pay their more productive forwards at the top of the lineup. Just this week, Brayden Point signed a massive eight-year extension that will make him one of the highest-paid forwards in the league. That deal won’t kick in until next season, but Barre-Boulet is now locked in at a very reasonable price for that stage too.

Detroit Red Wings Acquire Mitchell Stephens

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have traded away one of their young depth players, sending Mitchell Stephens to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a 2022 sixth-round pick.

With the signing of Alex Barre-Boulet, the Lightning were inching closer to the 50-contract limit with a few more restricted free agents left to deal with. Given that Stephens wasn’t likely to get much playing time now that Barre-Boulet and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare are under contract, a trade to his old manager in Detroit makes sense. It was Yzerman controlling the Lightning when Stephens was selected 33rd overall in 2015.

Now 24, Stephens was a semi-regular presence in the Lightning lineup in 2019-20, playing 38 games during the regular season. He also suited up for seven postseason games, coming in and out of the lineup whenever necessary. He even played 24 minutes in the epic five-overtime game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a career-high that will likely go unbroken for a while.

The benefit here for Stephens is obvious. He goes from an organization that is loaded with players like him, fighting for ice time, to one that needs all the NHL talent it can get. The young forward will have a chance to really establish himself in Detroit as they slowly rebuild through the draft. A player like Stephens is worth that sixth-round pick for Yzerman, even if all he gets is a couple of seasons while the rebuild continues. The Red Wings have plenty of picks to spare, and Stephens already has several years of minor league development invested in him.

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