Should the Montreal Canadiens circle back on Matt Bradley?

After an overage season in Regina, former Montreal Canadiens prospect Matt Bradley is without a contract but, his numbers may earn him an AHL deal.

The 2015 NHL Entry Draft saw the Montreal Canadiens on the clock only five times. All players selected that year have received an entry-level contract with the club starting with Noah Juulsen who was taken 26th overall and most recently Lukas Vejdemo selected in the third round. Matt Bradley was the only casualty of that draft.

The Habs took the centre in the fifth-round (131st overall) from the Medicine Hat Tigers. Bradley’s offensive production increased from his draft year. He put up 17 and 23 assists in 71 games that year which improved to 34 goals and 43 assists two seasons later. However, when the time came, the Montreal Canadiens chose not to give Bradley a qualifying offer.

Bradley went back into the draft but was passed by every team. After being traded to the Regina Pats that passing May, the BC native chose to return for an overage season in the WHL.

The 21-year-old’s scoring didn’t falter on his new team. He improved slightly on his totals from the year before with 37 goals and 42 assists. Bradley also added a goal and two assists in Regina’s seven playoff games. The production continued in the Memorial Cup scoring a goal and three assists in the five-game effort.

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So why did the Montreal Canadiens choose to pass up on signing Bradley? It’s always tricky to judge players based strictly on their production when they’re older and on good teams. However, of the 79 points, Bradley had this season, 63 of them were primary points (37 goals + 26 primary assists).

His linemates in Regina this season were rookie Emil Oksanen and Austin Pratt later in the season, who finished with 48 and 20 points respectively. But Bradley also saw time on Sam Steel‘s left wing. Bradley also played with high-scoring teammates in Mason Shaw, Chad Butcher, and Steven Owre when he was on Medicine Hat.

Another thing that didn’t work in Bradley’s favour was how little the Habs got to see him in-house. Injuries saw him miss both Rookie Tournaments as well as a portion of development camp in 2016.

With the number of contract decisions, the Montreal Canadiens had to make, it’s understandable as to why they wouldn’t want to invest in a ‘maybe’. Seeing as how the mentality of the organization is to focus on youth and talent swinging back on Bradley wouldn’t be the worst idea.

You’d expect greater production from a 21-year-old playing with teenagers which isn’t enough to warrant an NHL deal. That said, signing Bradley to an AHL deal would work in both parties favours. The Montreal Canadiens would have a chance to see how he fairs within the organization. Additionally, Bradley gets another shot to grow with brain trust that drafted him.

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It would be a low-risk-high-reward move. He has a quick step and ‘no quit’ mentality would be welcomed on a Laval Rocket team looking to make an impact next season with a new coaching staff. If we’re taking a page out of the Vegas Golden Knights’ book, sometimes all a player needs is a shot. Bradley has shown in his WHL career that he should at least get a sniff.