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Canadiens Off-Season Target: Andrew Ladd

By William Mccomb

Nov 11, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin speaks at a press conference before the game against the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 11, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin speaks at a press conference before the game against the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Canadiens search for wingers could lead them to ex-Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd

The Montreal Canadiens have a lot of potential options in their quest to acquire top 6 wingers this off-season. I have covered two potential trade options thus far in Nail Yakupov and Jonathan Drouin. Meanwhile, Nick Lariviere covered a prime free agent option in Kyle Okposo.

Today, I will take a look at another potential free agent target for the Canadiens in Andrew Ladd.

Ladd was taken 4th overall in the 2004 NHL draft. That drafted featured Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Ladd and Blake Wheeler being taken in the top 5 picks.

Since breaking into the league in 2005-06, Ladd has developed into a legitimate 20 goal and 50 point player. He won’t wow you with over the top skill but he comes with all those intangibles that coaches absolutely love. Grit, tenacity, experience and leadership are all traits that Ladd possesses and displays on a nightly basis.

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At 30 years of age, Ladd’s is entering the back half of his prime. Despite playing such a physical style of game and 11 seasons of wear and tear, Ladd has been very good at avoiding the injury bug. In fact, he has missed just 10 regular games over the past 8 seasons. That’s doubly surprising since Ladd has spent the majority of his career in the Western Conference.

After recording a career-high 62 points in 2014-15, Ladd stumbled a bit in 2015-16 with just 46 points, his lowest full season total since 2009-10. Still though, the two-time Stanley Cup champ cracked the 25 goal mark for the 3rd time in his career

How he fits the Canadiens

Ladd is a near perfect fit for what the Habs would be looking for. He is an experienced leader and Cup champion with the ability to score 20 goals and hit the 50 point mark. As well, Ladd possesses a strong defensive game with an equal ability to contribute on the penalty kill.

On paper, Ladd represents a near perfect compliment to Tomas Plekanec on the Canadiens 2nd line. This line would take a lot of pressure off the Canadiens top line by having the ability to match up and shut down opposing top lines. This would free up Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher to play against weaker defensive opponents, enabling them to wreak havoc on offense.

Ladd would also give the Canadiens a solid secondary option on the power play. In fact, Ladd’s 19 power play goals over the past two seasons would have led all Canadiens’ players over that time span.

What it could cost the Canadiens

Never underestimate the desperation of NHL General Managers on July 1st.

That is one of the most popular sayings when it comes to predicting potential salaries for coveted free agents. Even with a perceived down year, Ladd is still going to be a highly sought after commodity on July 1st. His intangibles, leadership and scoring ability have him in line for a solid pay day.

Ladd is coming off a 5 year extension he signed in 2011 while still in Winnipeg. That original deal paid him an average of $4.4 million per season.

Yesterday, our own Nick Lariviere projected Kyle Okposo to be in line for a 5 year, $30+ million contract. Okposo comes in 2 years younger and has shown more offensive consistency over the past 3 seasons than Ladd. I believe Okposo has more earning potential than Ladd and should end up receiving the bigger payday.

Next: Canadiens Off-Season Target: Kyle Okposo

Saying that, Ladd will not come in cheaply. As mentioned, he is going to be highly coveted. I think a safe estimation for Ladd would be a 5 year/$25 million deal, earning him $5 million per season. Now, here is where desperate GM’s come into play. I could easily see Ladd’s earning potential reaching Ryan Callahan‘s 6 year/$34.8 million deal, especially if he were to sign after Okposo. Callahan was signed for essentially having the similar intangibles to Ladd.

For Montreal to comfortably sign Ladd, they would need to get him for around $5 million per season and preferably for 5 years or less. The odds of that are probably not very good but if Montreal has hopes of keeping their core together, they have to be smart with their cap space and long-term commitments.

At the same time, if Montreal wants to enter free agent frenzy to find a top 6 winger, they will have to be prepared to pay some big money. It’s going to take a heck of a balancing act by the Canadiens to prep for now and the future.

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