Montreal Canadiens: The 2017 vs. 2018 Free Agency mentality

AHL Depth Mark I

The rest of the players signed that day were at first, destined for the AHL. The Montreal Canadiens had a new minor league in affiliate with the Laval Rocket and were looking to build off the success of the final season in St Johns.

The team made the playoffs for the first time in five years, but it was a last-minute entry. They had the Syracuse Crunch to thank for that. St Johns finished their regular season defeating the Toronto Marlies though it was Syracuse’s victory over the Utica Comets that clinched them a spot. Their post-season berth didn’t last too long as they were eliminated in the first round in four games.

With a new franchise in Laval ready to grow, getting the team back into the playoffs would be a great way to kick off their inaugural season. Keeping that in mind, the Montreal Canadiens signed Peter Holland, Byron Froese, and Matt Taormina.

Taormina was coming off an Eddie Shore Award-winning season with the Crunch putting up 15 goals and 45 assists. That production continued in the playoffs scoring with 20 points in 22 games. Froese and Holland had their stints in the NHL, mostly with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but played their best in the minors.

Joe Morrow could’ve been an option for the Laval Rocket as well. Based on his need for a reset, starting the season in the AHL made sense at the time of the signing, but Claude Julien, who had a history with the player, gave him an opportunity to improve in the NHL.