Montreal Canadiens: What’s going on with these European Free Agents?

The Montreal Canadiens were linked to two European Free Agents in Mikko Lehtonen and Alexey Marchenko but walked away with neither. Why?

To semi-quote the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, let’s rewind the clock a week. Mikko Lehtonen was all the talk amongst European Free Agents and planned to join the NHL next season after a could’ve year in the KHL. At the same time, Dan Milstein all but confirmed Alexander Romanov’s entry-level contract with the Habs, and it could’ve possibly brought over fellow teammate Alexey Marchenko in the process.

Several reports came out of Marchenko’s camp speaking with the Montreal Canadiens, so much so that it looked like he was a lock to be on the team for the 2020-21 season. As for Lehtonen, three teams were directly linked to him, including the Habs along with the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings. And some even saw some interest in the New York Rangers from Lehtonen, at least as far as his likes on social media go.

We return to the present day and see that neither took place.

Mikko Lehtonen chose to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs while Alexey Marchenko is staying in the KHL signing a two-year deal with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.

What happened?

Lehtonen’s case is easier to deal with. The Leafs, as well as many other teams, had their eye on Lehtonen, and they appreciated his ability to skate, move the puck, and, most importantly, play on the right side. The Finnish defenceman is a left-shot but played on the right side for all of last season as well as on Team Finland at the World Hockey Championships.

Coming out of the KHL in this manner has the only contract option for Lehtonen being an entry-level deal. This season is going to be one to put himself on the map and build up enough profile to cash in the following summer.

With the knowledge of Lehtonen being able to play on the right side, he’ll get a window to play on the team’s top-four and perhaps get power playtime as well. On the Montreal Canadiens, Lehtonen isn’t beating out Shea Weber or Jeff Petry on the right. If he does play on the left, he could easily see himself starting out on the left side or perhaps even being surpassed.

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Mind you, Alexander Romanov is the future of the left in Montreal, and they’ll put him in positions to succeed. Performance says more than hope and potential, but the Habs will jump to give Romanov more opportunities if he can handle it.

At the same time, Weber and Petry both have a hold on the man-advantage negating any possibility of playing there.

The state of the Leafthere’s line is more appealing to a player like Lehtonen, who wants to be used as much as possible. Habs fans deserve to be frustrated, but there’s not much Marc Bergevin can do in this scenario. Marchenko is a different story.

There is no confirmed reason for why Marchenko is staying in the KHL instead of joining the Montreal Canadiens. In my breakdown of the two players, I stated that Marchenko and Folin are relatively similar, but the connection to Romanov gives the former the edge. Perhaps with Romanov pretty much already joining made the organization feel as if they didn’t need to push so much for Marchenko, even if they are friends.

That’s looking at it solely from the organization’s point of view. Another angle to look at is a hybrid of the two.

No free agent wants to switch leagues and countries to not be guaranteed a spot on the team. Sure it makes sense for the Marchenko to play on the bottom-pair, but what if Cale Fleury or Noah Juulsen are ready to join full-time? Two players the Montreal Canadiens definitely want to see in the lineup on a regular basis.

Would Marchenko want to make that transition for a “maybe”? I can see how there would be way too risk behind that decision to justify it, and it could be disappointing for him to sign and wind up in the AHL with the Laval Rocket.

Again, is that Bergevin’s fault? No. That’s just the trick of the trade and the multitude of factors that need to be taken into account before making a decision.

It’s the dark side of players being rumoured to a single team. It’s never a guarantee, and most importantly, things can change. The Marchenko links began a couple of months ago while Lehtonen had several NHL teams in his ear who didn’t appear to be on the radar at all. No one is to blame, but that doesn’t mean the Montreal Canadiens should be done working on their roster.