The Montreal Canadiens got their meeting with Matt Duchene, and hopefully, it was enough to leave an impact as the next stop is with the Nashville Predators.
That final drop of paint is all dry. As the free agent interview window opened this week, the Montreal Canadiens were likely to get an interview with Matt Duchene given the clear interest in him. And according to reports, the anticipated UFA meeting took place in Montreal on Wednesday.
What did Marc Bergevin say? How did Matt Duchene react to all of it? And most importantly, did it sway him enough to sign a deal with the Montreal Canadiens come July 1st!? Unfortunately, we won’t know the answers to any of those questions until pen comes to paper. We may find out some details on the meeting, but until then, the interviews and optimistic speculation surrounding Duchene in a Habs sweater will continue.
There are a few things we do know or have learned in the last few days. There is a belief that Duchene’s final number will fall within the $9-$10 million range. No surprise there. Sure hockey minds have been pumping out this prediction, but anyone who has been paying attention to the pay grade of the NHL could’ve done the same thing.
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When it comes down to everything, blame Kevin Hayes and the Philadelphia Flyers. Hayes signing that deal that brought him north of $7 million despite not having a 20-goal season to his name until last year while this year was the first time he hit 50 points is a little disruptive. Duchene has two 30-goal seasons and has scored at least 50 points seven times in his career so it would make sense for the envelope to be pushed further into that range.
At the same time, that’s what free agency is all about. Teams may not make a mistake in bringing in a certain player, but it’s the price and term of the deal that generally ends up having many frustrated.
The second tidbit of information is not really news but more of a reality check. Duchene meeting with the Montreal Canadiens is great; however, he’s moving on to the Nashville Predators for a Thursday meeting.
This is something to be worried about given how much the Preds have been preparing for this. Duchene nearly became a Predator when Nashville, Colorado, and Ottawa came together for that three-way deal that saw him go to the Senators. His interest in the team and city is far from being a mystery and general manager traded one of his best defencemen in P.K. Subban so they could have enough cap space to extend Roman Josi and challenge others for Duchene.
He’s a clear target given his offensive contributions at the centre position, something the Nashville Predators desperately need more of.
That meeting will be as urgent and pressing as it needs to be to get Duchene to pick Nashville.
If the Montreal Canadiens do end up signing Matt Duchene, it’ll be a huge win for Bergevin, but the work will need to get done quickly, especially if his cap hit ends up being closer to the $10 million mark. However, that’s a conversation for July 1st and beyond.