Will the Montreal Canadiens ever regret the Josh Anderson trade?

Discussing the Montreal Canadiens best move of the offseason, who is on their last legs and whether there will ever be regrets for the Josh Anderson trade.

1) What was your favourite decision of the Montreal Canadiens offseason?

Ken MacMillan: My favourite move of the offseason was the acquisition of Jake Allen. It was finally time for the Habs to admit they can’t ride Carey Price every night of the season and hope he can carry them into and through the playoffs. Marc Bergevin has often been quoted as saying that some players get you into the playoffs, and some players get you through them. It’s finally time they realized this philosophy includes the goaltenders. Allen should be able to help the Canadiens have great goaltending every night of the regular season, but far more importantly, he will carry a big enough load that Price will be rested and at his best in the postseason.

Teddy Eliot: The Jake Allen trade. This move proved that Bergevin finally realized that his $10 million dollar goalie can’t play 60+ games a season and still expect to win in the playoffs. I would argue that he’s Montreal’s most important player this season, as his success or failure will directly contribute to the team’s playoff chances. Allen needs to play well as Price’s backup goalie. There are no other options.

Sebastian: This one is easy, for me, despite the plethora of moves I liked a lot. The signing of Tyler Toffoli is one of those rare low-risk, high-reward moves. Toffoli is only 28-years-old and has scored 20 goals on four occasions and has put up a 30-goal pace twice, hitting that mark in 2015-16 and being well on his way to it last season. The term of four years is perfect, the cap hit of 4.25 million is a bargain if he manages 30 goals and fair value if he pots North of 23, and fair value is a rare find on the free-agent market. While I am a big fan of the Jake Allen trade and subsequent signing, the value that Toffoli will bring to the team is just huge.

The move that was the closest to beating out Toffoli, for me, was the only other A+ grade I gave to one of Bergevin’s offseason moves, which was the Jeff Petry extension. I believe Petry could, quite easily, have gotten a contract for $1.5 million a year more on the free-agent market than the $6.25 million he signed to stay in Montreal for another 4 seasons beyond 2020-21. The value there is excellent. While Josh Anderson may be the acquisition I am most excited to see in a Habs jersey, the risk in his acquisition and signature is just too substantial to have him take the crown in this particular competition.