The Montreal Canadiens have been busy this offseason. Could they make a big splash in free agency?
The Montreal Canadiens have been one of the busier teams in the NHL thus far in the offseason.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been pretty busy dismantling a solid team, but the Habs have arguably done the most to upgrade their squad via trades and signings so far.
Free agency doesn’t officially begin until tomorrow, but that didn’t stop Habs general manager Marc Bergevin from acquiring and signing a few assets already.
First, he traded a third round pick for Jake Allen to serve as Carey Price’s backup next season. Then, he moved a fifth round pick for the rights to Joel Edmundson who he quickly signed to a four-year contract. Then, he traded Max Domi and a third round pick for Josh Anderson who is a pending free agent in need of a new contract for next season.
Could the next move by Bergevin be the biggest one yet?
Rumours this morning have it that Taylor Hall is a target of the Canadiens in free agency tomorrow, and that the Habs are one of three teams that are most likely to land the star left winger.
Darren Dreger on @TSN1260 says he thinks the Montreal Canadiens are one of the teams that will try to sign Taylor Hall. Lists them with Columbus and Nashville as his “Top-3” potential destinations for Hall. #GoHabsGo
— HabsLinks (@HabsLinks) October 8, 2020
This brings back memories of Matt Duchene trade rumours that swirled for years. The Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens were all interested in the centre, and the only team that didn’t end up getting him was the Canadiens. Duchene was traded to the Blue Jackets and then later signed a huge contract with the Predators when he hit free agency last offseason.
Could the Habs land the big fish this time?
They have the cap space, but things would get pretty tight. The team is showing $11 million in available dollars to spend, but they have to re-sign Josh Anderson and Victor Mete. I don’t think Mete will eat up a ton of space, but Anderson? It’s tough to figure out what he will cost.
Hall is going to command a lot of money. He was traded from the New Jersey Devils to the Arizona Coyotes at the trade deadline for a package that included first round picks and prospects. He scored ten goals and 27 points in 35 games for the Coyotes, and was stellar in his time with the Devils.
In three and a half seasons with New Jersey, Hall scored 76 goals and 208 points in 211 games. He won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2018 following a 39 goal and 93 point performance that dragged the Devils into the postseason.
Hall is a veteran of ten NHL seasons, and though his postseason resume is unremarkable, he is more a victim of circumstance in that regard. The Edmonton Oilers made him the first overall pick in 2010 and though he was the right choice, their management team made a lot of wrong moves during Hall’s time in Alberta. Trading him for Adam Larsson is chief among that list. They missed the playoffs every year, but Hall does have 12 points in 14 postseason games with the Devils and Coyotes.
Hall would be looking for a huge contract from the Canadiens. He plays left wing so his acquisition could lead to the departure of Jonathan Drouin who would find himself well down the Habs depth chart with Hall and Tomas Tatar in front of him.
Hall plays a fast paced, hard-nosed, style that would fit right in with what the Habs are building this offseason. He would cost a lot of money, but he would make the Canadiens a much better hockey team while Carey Price and Shea Weber still have a few great years in them.
With no free agent courting period for NHL teams this offseason, the rumours have been pretty quiet. This one is sure making some noise in Montreal. We will have to keep a close eye on it tomorrow when free agent signing period opens.