A Decision
It’ll come down to fit and opportunity as the money is generally the same. Kovar can only sign a one-year entry-level contract which will most likely be a $925,000 cap hit. Therefore, if the Habs are interested, they’ll have to sell him on the benefits of playing for the team.
At the same time, he could be sold on the young skill on the roster aside from Drouin including Max Domi, Nikita Scherbak, and Arrturi Lehkonen to name a few. Perhaps fellow countryman Plekanec can help with that.
Allan Walsh, Kovar’s agent, has kept Twitter well-informed on the progress of his client’s decision.
We have a Jan Kovar update. Jan is evaluating and considering various NHL offers and will be making a decision tomorrow. #EHSHockey ##OctagonHockey https://t.co/dBqjcR1g2q
— Allan Walsh🏒 (@walsha) July 7, 2018
Several teams have been in talks with acquiring Kovar, so it’ll be interesting to see what he decides on. If we’re sticking to what Walsh said, that could come as early as Sunday, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see it stretched out a little more.
Kovar is definitely a player worth pursuing, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if the Montreal Canadiens didn’t sign him. Like I mentioned earlier, having him on the team does cause some congestion issues within the lineup. Some younger players expected to have bigger roles on the Habs next season may not get that opportunity with Kovar around.
At the same time, it would help the Habs improve right now, perhaps enough to get them closer to the conversation of being a playoff team next season.
Next: Break Down of the Cap Space, Contracts, and Reserve List
It’s a guessing game for now. Will Kovar become a Montreal Canadien? We’ll have to wait and see.