Andrei Markov’s departure for Russia after being unable to come to terms with the team left a massive impact on Montreal’s defensive front, with the former sixth-round pick’s consistency and powerplay abilities being a key part of the Canadiens offense. In an attempt to mend this, they opted to sign another former Hab, in a 39-year-old Mark Streit.
Needless to say, this did not work, with the team releasing the former 60-point performer after two less than stellar games. Former Edmonton Oilers star Ales Hemsky was brought in that same season on a one-year deal, only to play just seven games due to injury.
As for Perry and Frolik, while the two carry a similar track record to players like Hemsky, Streit, and Fleischmann, they’ve proven themselves as more consistent players, capable of playing a more defined role, whether it be on the fourth line, penalty kill, or powerplay.
Perry is now fully settled into his role as a checker despite being just three years removed from a 53-point season in 2016-17, and it’s likely he’ll play a similar role for the Canadiens, though Perry knows there are no guarantees at league-minimum. Frolik has seen his game take a downturn over this past season but is still a perfectly fine injury fill-in, bringing solid two-way abilities. However, there’s still no way of knowing whether we’ll be getting a Tomas Fleischmann or an Ales Hemsky out of these two.
In an off-season that has seen the likes of Anderson and Toffoli join the Canadiens, Frolik and Perry especially have been gaining notice as of late for simply how interesting these acquisitions are. While it’s easy to see what Anderson and Toffoli bring to the Habs, Frolik and Perry allow for more speculation, and it’ll be interesting to see how things play out.
While it’s been a busy past week for the Montreal Canadiens, the weeks to come will be even busier for Corey Perry and Michael Frolik.