A Winning Habit
Fansided

Montreal Canadiens Roundtable: Moving on to the NHL Draft and Free Agency

By Emmanuel D

MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 07: General manager of the Montreal Canadiens Marc Bergevin speaks with the media prior to the NHL game against the Minnesota Wild at the Bell Centre on January 7, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Minnesota Wild defeated the Montreal Canadiens 1-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 07: General manager of the Montreal Canadiens Marc Bergevin speaks with the media prior to the NHL game against the Minnesota Wild at the Bell Centre on January 7, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Minnesota Wild defeated the Montreal Canadiens 1-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 8
Next
Montreal Canadiens
TAMPA, FL – APRIL 10: Montreal Canadiens(Photo by Andrew Bershaw/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Emmanuel D: In the forward position, my picks would be either Artemi Panarin or Matt Duchene. Both players would improve the Habs 5-on-5 numbers as well as the powerplay. Panarin would instantly fit in as the top LW while Duchene can play on both the wing and centre position. Of the two, my pick would be Matt Duchene. Signing him could be a chance to put Max Domi on the wing to see if he can keep up his play. If not, Duchene could play on another line or move to the wing himself. I also think he’s the most likely of these two candidates since its looking like as of now, the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers may be the leading contenders to sign Panarin.

Related Story. The Habs Should Trade for Taylor Hall. light

If the Canadiens do not improve on defence through the trade market, I would not be surprised if Marc Bergevin tried to go after a guy like Jake Gardiner. I would argue he is not always the best decision maker, but a chance to play with Shea Weber or Jeff Petry, depending on if Mete takes his game to the next level could prove very useful to both him and the team overall. I’d be careful with both the term and the salary, we don’t want another Karl Alzner situation on our hands, though I don’t think a Gardiner signing could ever go that poorly.

Dillon Dominique: For me, it comes down to what we need most and in my opinion that is first line elite talent and a left-shooting defenseman to play with either Shea Weber or Jeff Petry. At forward, Panarin should be the main target. The rumors all season long have been that Panarin prefers a big market American team, but maybe he wouldn’t mind coming to Montreal to be a star in a city deprived of such for so long. Erik Karlsson is also an option, and he played in Ottawa, a Canadian market, so maybe he will consider us.

Home/Editorials