Montreal Canadiens: A future contract for Eric Gelinas

Eric Gelinas has fans talking after his hat-trick against the Belleville Senators and whether a contract with the Montreal Canadiens is in store for him.

The Laval Rocket have had a difficult season that hasn’t gone the way many hoped or expected. Similarly to the Montreal Canadiens, the team is just playing out the remainder of the year ahead of an offseason filled with decisions. Obviously, the way the roster shapes up to be will depend on what moves the NHL club makes. There’s a chance furthers boosts are on the way in William Bitten and Michael Pezzetta who signed contracts with the organization and Jake Evans who is trending towards one as well.

However, there will be players on the team already who will need new contracts for next season if the plan is to keep them around. Names such as Michael McCarron, Jèrèmy Grègoire, and Tom Parisi are at the forefront, but there are others management need to address. After his performance in last night’s game, Eric Gelinas has been a player to consider.

The 26-year-old has been on Laval’s blue line all season after signing a PTO with the Habs ahead of training camp. After Matt Taormina went down with injury, Gelinas was looked upon to man the top pairing which became more demanding after Noah Juulsen was called up to the NHL. However, with Taormina’s return to the lineup, Gelinas was played lower in the lineup. That being said, his defensive play and skating have improved all season long.

What saw the puck find the back of the net three times was his booming slap shot. The Habs saw it first hand in the preseason when Gelinas blasted a shot home on the power play.

Gelinas does have experience with racking up points in the AHL though. In 75 games with the Albany Devils in the 2011/12 season, Gelinas had 16 goals and 21 assists. He was able to bring similar numbers to the NHL with the New Jersey Devils in 2014 and 2015 with 29 and 19 point seasons respectively. What has kept Gelinas out of the NHL long-term has been his play away from the puck making him a defensive liability at times.

That’s an area that has improved the most in his 53 games with the Laval Rocket which begs the question, what’s next for him? Gelinas will be without a contract come July 1st and other teams may be interested in his play. Besides the fact that he can put up points, his six foot four frame has been put to use as well dishing out some big hits for Laval.

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Will the Habs be one of those teams? The Rocket could use the experience on defence for next season, and the organization has the room to sign him to an NHL contract if they choose to. It wouldn’t guarantee that he makes the team out of camp, but it would give the Habs an option to keep him in the AHL or call him up in the event of an injury. Again, it depends on who else is calling Gelinas and his agent in the summer.

It couldn’t hurt bringing the veteran back for another season or two, but Marc Bergevin‘s words after the Trade Deadline make it seem like management will prioritize younger players. That isn’t a bad plan at all, but in a developmental league, having all youth, especially on the blueline, may not be the way to go. It’s very cliched, but having experience on a team does wonders as much as skill does.

Additionally, Gelinas probably doesn’t plan on spending the rest of his career in the AHL, and there could be a spot for him on the Habs if he continues to work.

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Do you think the Habs should sign Gelinas to a contract? What could he bring to the roster if he makes the team next season? Let us know in the comments below.