Although it didn’t seem like the Montreal Canadiens would be having that much of a different team next season, now that the offseason has kicked off, it looks like it could be the opposite.
With Tomas Tatar and Phillip Danault both exploring free agency, Shea Weber and Carey Price exposed in the expansion draft, and Jonathan Drouin still quiet about his future, these are huge parts of the team that could be missing from the lineup come October.
However, that means Ben Chiarot, Jeff Petry, and Joel Edmundson will all be protected. So either the Seattle Kraken takes Price, or a forward.
If Price is taken, the Canadiens will need to find another goalie, but if Seattle takes a forward, that’s one more they will have to replace, though that would be a lot more manageable than losing Price.
One UFA that comes to mind is the Colorado Avalanche’s captain Gabriel Landeskog.
He was drafted second overall in 2011 by the Avalanche and has since been with them. In 54 games played this past regular season, the left-winger had 20 goals and 32 assists, for a total of 52 points (almost a rate of one point per game). Then, in 10 playoff games, he had four goals and nine assists, totalling 13 points (an average of 1.3 points per game).
These are impressive numbers, especially considering the Canadiens’ lack of offence. They could absolutely use his offensive skills, not to mention that the only strong presence on the left wing is Tyler Toffoli, so having Landeskog would be another great addition on the left wing.
He would also be a great influence on the young guys. They could learn a lot from his talent, leadership, and experience.
However, the real question is whether or not the Avalanche will really let him walk, or if they’re only letting him see elsewhere like the Canadiens are letting Danault experience free agency.
Ultimately, it will be Landeskog’s decision on where he wants to go, but another option is Seattle since he will be left unprotected.
However, the Canadiens could also offer him a reasonable contract, and with how far they got this season, he might consider becoming a Hab. His previous contract was seven years long with an AAV of $5.57 million. With the possibility of having Weber placed on LTIR next season, they should be able to make him an attractive offer.
Either he or Toffoli could play with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, and the other could play with Brendan Gallagher and either Danault or a possible replacement.
No matter who he plays with, I’m sure he will help make better, but there is no real way of knowing where he will be going for now.
At 10 a.m. EST, the protected lists are expected to be made public, so we might have a better idea by then, but the real revelation will be made on Wednesday at 8 p.m. during the expansion draft.