Round Up: Ensuring a succesful offseason for the Montreal Canadiens
By Omar L
The Montreal Canadiens are in an interesting spot in the NHL and have a number of possible moves they can make to ensure the team’s success next year.
1) Marc Bergevin has had a knack as of late of getting the majority of his players on reasonable cap-hits, can he continue this trend and if not, who will be the first to get a serious payday?
Emmanuel D: He would break this trend if he landed one of the big UFAs in July such as Matt Duchene or Artemi Panarin. Most teams overpay for free agents and this would unavoidable on Bergevin’s part if he goes for a star player. My worry would also be overpaying for Jake Gardiner. While I think he could be signed at the right price, they need to avoid another Alzner situation.
On the current roster, Max Domi may be the one to receive a serious payday, especially if he has a repeat year or better. Domi may be willing to take a discount though since the Montreal Canadiens gave him a second chance on his stagnated career back in Arizona, but this is purely subjective.
Sebastian: Bergevin really has had a knack for team friendly contracts as of late. The Weal signing really impressed me, I mean the guy took a pay cut to help the team out, as did Thompson. Of course, there are many other examples if you look at the years past. The pitch given to the players by the management is an alluring one: take a pay cut to give this team a better chance of winning. I can’t see Armia or Lehkonen get more than 2 million AAV, and I truly believe that Montreal will really give their all to get a big name to join the team, whether that be through a trade or free agency.
As for the next player to get a large contract, it is difficult to look past Max Domi, who will be an RFA next season. I could see Bergevin signing him as soon as this summer to a 4 or 5-year extension around the 6-million mark (maybe that can be chipped down to 5.5). I think that #13 will take a pay cut as well, as he has fallen in love with this team and this city; and is driven by his hunger to win, which will give him a reason to take a cheaper contract.