5 Key Montreal Canadiens questions for the remainder of the season

Who Moves On?

If the Montreal Canadiens decide to sell their stock, there a number of players who could see themselves out besides Kovalchuk. Marco Scandella is another UFA Bergevin may deal for a team looking to shore up their defensive depth for the playoffs. The Habs will definitely need to retain salary on his $4 million cap hit, and perhaps they’ll be able to recoup the draft pick they gave up for Scandella in the process.

Nate Thompson, Matthew Peca, and Keith Kinkaid are three more players of interest. Thompson is a character player who may not have elite speed but is effective in a limited role. He’s shown his impact in the bottom six of the Habs’ roster, and he’s been a big part of the team’s penalty kill all season. Additionally, teams are always looking for playoff experience, and with 62 games under his belt, Thompson has plenty.

Peca and Kinkaid will be dark horses in this narrative. Kinkaid has been traded at the deadline before transitioning from New Jersey to Columbus for depth at the position but didn’t play a game. He had bright moments in net for the Montreal Canadiens this season and unfortunately wasn’t consistent enough to stick around.

Peca battled through injuries this year, keeping his games played this year to 23 with the Laval Rocket and 5 with the Montreal Canadiens. He went pointless in those 5 games but has 3 goals and 12 assists in the minors. Although it may not be the best stat-line, Peca does bring speed and offensive creativity to his game.