Andreas Martinsen and Brandon Davidson are two of the Montreal Canadiens who are forgotten by many, but is there more for either of them to give?
As we get closer to the Montreal Canadiens training camp, all we can do is predict the roster. We think about the new additions to the team, the subtractions, and the players who will make a comeback. The entire off-season it’s been all about Jonathan Drouin, Karl Alzner, Jakub Jerabek, Max Pacioretty, and Alex Galchenyuk.
It makes sense to do that. Those, and a few others, are the names many associate the team with. There are two players however that we’ve seemed to have forgotten about: Andreas Martinsen and Brandon Davidson. Now no offence to either of them, but there are reasons why their not the first to jump into our minds.
Martinsen was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche for Sven Andrighetto. Not the finest deal considering what Andrighetto did with the Avalanche post-trade, but that’s all in the past now.
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Martinsen played 11 games for the Habs including two in the playoffs. He brought size and more physicality to the line-up. Additionally his commitment to defence sat well with head coach Claude Julien.
Davidson was also acquired this past season, but from the Edmonton Oilers for David Desharnais. He was a decent add to the Habs’ bottom pair, but fell victim to critical mistakes in his own zone.
As little as they’re mentioned, you’d think they were long gone, but they’re still part of the organization for the upcoming season. The question is what will the Montreal Canadiens do with them?
What’s Next?
Davidson was halfway through the first year of a two-year extension with the Oilers when he was traded. He has this remaining season at a cap-hit of $1.425 million before becoming a UFA at the end of the year.
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Martinsen on the other hand was a set to become a UFA. The Habs must’ve liked what he brought to the team because he was resigned at the beginning of June. Next season, the 27-year-old will be making $650,000.
The problem is the fit for both of them. Montreal did a lot of work adding to their blue-line this season in bringing in Alzner, Jerabek, and Streit. There’s absolutely no room in the line-up at the moment. The same goes for Martinsen. It may not be ideal to have Charles Hudon on the fourth line, but it would be better than losing him to waivers (which would definitely happen if he’s made available).
Julien will probably go for 13 forwards and 8 defencemen next season. Unfortunately, Martinsen and Davidson will have to be the extras and sit in the press box. It’s even possible that Martinsen is send down if the team believes that Daniel Carr or Jacob de La Rose could be lost to waivers.
As bad as it sounds, the mystery of where they’ll end up isn’t too important. That being said, it’ll be interesting to see what direction Julien wants to take to the team. What he decides to do with these two could be very telling of what that direction is.
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What do you think will happen with Martinsen and Davidson? Will they be on the Montreal Canadiens this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Player salaries from Capfriendly.com