Montreal Canadiens: How does the John Chayka situation affect Taylor Hall?

Hall could be at that point in his career where he’s willing to make sacrifices in order to put himself in a position to win. That could include financial cutbacks, but trust in the organization is key. At the same time, players may be pushed to pursue shorter deals until the salary cap goes back up (fingers crossed) in order to maximize their top dollar on a future deal.

The Montreal Canadiens can afford Taylor Hall. Bergevin currently has over $4.5 million in space to work with while the likes of Dale Weise and Keith Kinkaid are coming off the books. Additionally, the NHL is likely going to provide teams with compliance buyouts, which would see Karl Alzner’s deal disappear.

If Hall sees a fit on this team, who have up and coming stars and are missing more firepower, it could work.

Unfortunately, there is the likelihood of the Montreal Canadiens not necessarily wanting Hall. Bergevin is putting a lot of faith in what the team has in their cupboards. He’s made it clear he wants the Habs to be competitive but has refused to salvage the future for instant upgrades. Whether that’s stubbornness or a strong belief in the Cole Caufields and Alexander Romanovs of the world, it’s Montreal’s reality.

General managers must do their due diligence when the opportunities arise, and inquiring on a top free agent falls in that category. But it wouldn’t be surprising to see Bergevin “settle” on bringing Ilya Kovalchuk and Nate Thompson back then wipe his hands clean of the offseason.

Hopefully, management has it in their plans somewhere to at least inquire about what Taylor Hall is asking for and consider what he could bring to this team. And with the state of how things are looking, it could make Montreal’s position to sign him all the better.