Montreal Canadiens Roster - Who Stays, Who Goes? Pt 5

Unlike the left side, Montreal’s Right Defense has much more certainty going into next year with a perennial Norris Candidate anchoring the top pairing.

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Very much like the left side, Montreal’s Right Defense has seen it’s share of injuries and call-ups, resulting in some players gaining some much needed seasoning while others have been called-up too early in their careers.

Unlike the left side though, the Right Defense is anchored by two players who should be long-term fixtures in Montreal who are both in their primes. Due to this, it leaves just a single regular spot open for next year that’ll be battled over by three young players and maybe a potential UFA signing.

Related Story: Montreal Canadiens Roster - Who Stays, Who Goes? Pt 4

Player – Contract Term @ Cap Hit **All salary figures courtesy of General Fanager

P.K. Subban – 6 Years @ $9 million

Jeff Petry – 5 years @ $5.5 million

Tom Gilbert – UFA

Greg Pateryn – 2 years @ 800K

Darren Dietz – RFA

Morgan Ellis – RFA

The Elite

Whether you love him or hate, and most Habs fans love him, P.K. Subban is not going anywhere anytime soon. Despite having what many have called a “down” season, Subban has quietly put up his 3rd consecutive 50+ point season of his career. This makes him just the 3rd Montreal Canadiens defenceman to do so in franchise history, joining Hall of Fame defenders Guy LaPointe, who did it 5 years in a row from 1972-73 to 1976-77, and Larry Robinson, who did 7 years in a row from 1976-77 to 1982-83.

P.K. remains arguably Montreal’s best player and is the cornerstone of the defensive unit. This is evidenced by the fact he has averaged the most ice time of any Habs player since becoming a full-time NHL’er in 2010-11. He does have his weaknesses, as any player does, but with his over the top personality and on-ice talent, those mistakes become magnified. P.K. is going to remain a stalwart in Montreal’s system for years to come and rightfully so. Virtual Lock to Stay

Jeff Petry was in the midst of proving a lot of critics wrong by carrying over his strong play late in 2014-15 into 2015-16. He was on pace to nearly match his career high in points and was doing so while anchoring Montreal’s 2nd defensive pair and elevating the play of any partner who played next to him.

With 5 years remaining at $5.5 million a year, Petry isn’t going anywhere. Bergevin specifically targeted him, traded for him and slightly over-paid to keep him in Montreal long-term. It also helps that Petry owns a full No-Movement Clause for another 2 seasons before it turns into a No-Trade Clause. Virtual Lock to Stay

Tom Gilbert came to Montreal on a 2 year deal at a $2.8 million cap hit in 2014 and was heralded has an analytical darling. Over the course of these past 2 seasons, Gilbert has been a rather large disappointment. His offensive numbers have crashed to career low’s, all of his advanced metrics have dropped to below average levels and his turnover ratio has plummeted.

In fact, in his 2 years, Gilbert has become a turnover machine with 92 credited giveaways versus 17 credited takeaways, Their was rumored interest at the deadline for him but to cap off his disappointing Habs career, Gilbert suffered a season-ending knee injury. At 33 years old and having knee surgery, if the writing wasn’t on the wall before, it certainly is now. 0% chance Gilbert returns.

Greg Pateryn has been with Montreal for what seems like forever. He has finally been given an extended look due to the rash of injuries this season and he has been a solid contributor. Saying that, Pateryn will never be mistaken for P.K. Subban or even Mark Barberio for that matter. But Pateryn is big, he is mean and he loves to throw hits. With a 2 year extension already in place, Pateryn should prove to be a much cheaper and younger version of Alexei Emelin going forward, and could make the aforementioned Russian expendable. Good bet he stays

The Prospect Group

Due to Montreal’s injuries this season, they have been forced to use pretty much all of their defensive depth from St. John’s and that has included Darren Dietz and Morgan Ellis. Both Dietz and Ellis represent Montreal’s prospect depth at the AHL level and both should not have seen time in the NHL this year. For Dietz, he was a 5th round pick from 2011 and has failed to bring his offensive prowess from Saskatoon to the AHL. He’s still just 22 years old and still has time to develop that aspect of his game.

Morgan Ellis was in the same boat as Dietz last year, a 22 year old defender drafted in the 4th round in 2010 who had yet to show much of anything at the AHL level. Actually, Ellis ended up even worse off as he was demoted to the ECHL for 39 games due to lack-luster play before re-discovering his game. Starting this year at 23, Ellis has been St. John’s most consistent defender this season, registering career-highs in all offensive categories and was rewarded with a 3 game call-up.

Dietz is an RFA at year’s end and likely has earned at least 1, maybe 2 more years before he is potentially moved along. Next year will be a big year for him and he should receive a two-way deal this off-season. As for Ellis, he may be in for an extended look at a bottom pairing spot in Montreal next year, battling with Greg Pateryn for Tom Gilbert’s spot. Both should be back next year.

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Montreal Canadiens Roster – Who Stays, Who Goes? Pt 5

By William Mccomb | Mar 15, 2016

Unlike the left side, Montreal’s Right Defense has much more certainty going into next year with a perennial Norris Candidate anchoring the top pairing.

More from A Winning Habit