The Montreal Canadiens have terminated a fair number of their contracts over the last two seasons, and they’ve proven to be beneficial decisions.
Signing any player to a contract is always a gamble. It doesn’t matter whether they’re proven or a fresh face in the NHL, a general manager takes a risk in signing that sheet of paper in hopes they pay off by the end of the deal. The risk is a greater cause for concern when working with relatively younger players as teams spend the length of the contract hoping they break even or extend expectations and the Montreal Canadiens can attest to that.
Monday saw the Habs place Michal Moravcik on unconditional waivers for the hopes of terminating his contract allowing him to return to the Czech Republic and perhaps play for the Pelicans again.
Fans were optimistic yet intrigued when the news initially broke of Moravcik and David Sklenicka joining the organization. Would they stay in North America for the entire season? Would they have an impact at the AHL level with the Laval Rocket? Could either possibly wind up playing for the Montreal Canadiens at any point of the year?
We now know that Sklenicka was the only one to establish a role for himself in Laval while Moravcik was in constant limbo. And that was the end of that.
If you take a small sample size of the fan base, not too many were bothered by the news.
What was your reaction to the Moravcik news? #Habs #GoHabsGo
— A Winning Habit (@FSAWinningHabit) January 28, 2019
If you were then that’s fine as well, especially if you were looking forward to what Moravcik could’ve done long-term. But Marc Bergevin has done a good job in showing us the bright side of parting ways with a player.
Think back to last season when Mark Streit was signed to a one-year deal. Streit, coming off a Stanley Cup victory with the Pittsburgh Penguins, had hopes of replacing Andrei Markov on the powerplay but quickly proved that aspect of his game was beyond him. After clearing waivers and refusing to report to the AHL, the Habs had cause to terminate Streit’s contract.
Tomas Plekanec had his contract terminated as well in a bittersweet move for Montreal. Bergevin traded the veteran to the Toronto Maple Leafs and resigned him that passing summer at a $2.25 million cap hit with a number of performance bonuses. However, the play of Matthew Peca (at the time) prevented him from having a regular spot in the lineup and Bergevin made a decision that would benefit the organization.
Imagine if that extra contract slot and money is still here? In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter with the Habs already having north of $9 million to play with, but you never know when you’ll need an extra cent.
It’s unfortunate that Moravcik didn’t work out here, just as it’s disappointing for Streit, Plekanec, Martin Reway, and Jeremiah Addison. But at times there are moves a general manager has to make, and they could end up being better in the long run.
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