Five Free Agents The Montreal Canadiens Should Re-Sign This Offseason

The offseason having now officially begun, free agency is right around the corner, set to start on July 28, only a few days after the expansion and entry drafts. That means starting July 28, the Montreal Canadiens will have nine free agents that could go almost anywhere – if they don’t re-sign any by then.

There are seven free agents that are forwards: Corey Perry, Joel Armia, Phillip Danault, Eric Staal, Tomas Tatar, Artturi Lehkonen, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

The only two defenceman free agents are Jon Merrill and Erik Gustafsson.

Here are the free agents the Canadiens should keep, starting with the most important ones.

1. Jesperi Kotkaniemi

The first free agent I think the Canadiens should keep is Kotkaniemi. He has played with them for three seasons now and keeps showing how well he is developing and growing as a player. The experience he gained during this playoff run will just make him that much more valuable to the team, and the best part is that he only just turned 21 three days ago. He will only get better and better as years pass by and if he continues to develop the say he has been, he will be an incredible two-way centre by the time he reaches his prime.

2. Phillip Danault

The second free agent the Canadiens absolutely need to re-sign is Danault. Although there were rumours that he refused a six-year extension worth $30 million last offseason, which probably means he’s expecting a higher salary. So, if he gets a better offer, he might leave. The Canadiens also don’t have too much cap space to give him a lot more, but they’ll probably do their best to try and keep him. Not only is he an incredible defensive and shutdown centre, but he is also teaching the young centres how to be just as good and better than he is.

3. Artturi Lehkonen

The third free agent Marc Bergevin has to keep is Lehkonen. Although his numbers aren’t impressive at 7-6-13 during the regular season and 3-1-4 during the playoffs, he’s a great asset on the third line. It’s a great shutdown line that also has a lot of speed, and Lehkonen is a big part of it.

4. Joel Armia

Another big part of the bottom six that the Canadiens should try and re-sign is Armia. Whether he plays on the third or fourth line, he’s a crucial piece of the team that is the Canadiens, and although he either goes very hot or very cold, he usually goes hot at the right time. His chemistry with his linemates and their forechecking is a huge part of the Canadiens’ depth.

5. Corey Perry

Last but not least, this veteran started the season on the taxi squad but kept working work, and when he had the chance to prove himself he did. Perry was also a huge part of the playoffs, and he definitely should be a Hab for the next year or two. He had a record of 9-12-21 during the regular season and 4-6-10 in the playoffs. His veteran experience is priceless, and a two-year $3 million contract would be reasonable.

6. Let Walk the Rest

Although Eric Staal was helpful in the playoffs, I don’t see a place for him in the lineup long-term, since the Canadiens have many young centers they should use and develop (Kotkaniemi, Nick Suzuki, and Jake Evans). Ryan Poehling is also a centre I would like to see more in their lineup next season.

Tomas Tatar has been an important part of the Canadiens’ organization for three years now, but they just can’t keep everyone, and the moment he was benched for more than one game in the playoffs, it became quite clear that they had no intention of re-signing him. However, he remains a good left-winger who should not have any difficulty fitting in perfectly with another team.

Erik Gustafsson was acquired this season to help with the powerplay, and he did just that. Even if the Canadiens were to lose one of their top-four defencemen in the expansion draft, it’s better they find someone that fits in better and that can be relied on. Gustafsson has shown that he can sometimes be a liability at times, and for this reason, he and his defensive partner Jon Merrill played very few minutes in the playoffs.

For this same reason, I don’t think Merrill will be staying, nor that he should. He was brought in to help at the end of the season and the playoffs, and he did, but that should be the end of his journey as a Hab.

Other teams could use these two defencemen better than this Montreal team can, so keeping them would not be the right choice either for their careers or for the Canadiens.

It won’t be long until the team starts announcing who they are re-signing and if Dominique Ducharme will be officially getting the head coach title for next season, which will also play a big role in deciding what next season’s lineup will look like.