This offseason has not only been very busy but also extremely odd. A few weeks ago, I wrote about some weird news that had happened for Canadian teams, and now, it’s all around the league, including the Montreal Canadiens.
1. Marc-André Fleury traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for nothing
You read that right, the Vezina trophy winner Flower was traded to the Blackhawks for nothing in return, except owning Mikael Hakkarainen’s contract.
McCrimmon said that Mikael Hakkarainen, who acquired in the trade from Chicago, will continue to play for the Blackhawks (or within their organization) despite Vegas owning his contract.
— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) July 27, 2021
Fleury has been the face of the Vegas Golden Knights franchise since their expansion, and to give him away just like that doesn’t make sense to me. Yes, it frees $7 million in cap space, but at what cost?
Fans are mad, Fleury doesn’t want to play in Chicago, and now GM Kelly McCrimmon said they will be looking for a backup goaltender (Robin Lehner being the starter) in the next few weeks.
Fleury also learned about that trade through Twitter, though McCrimmon said that everything shared on social media wasn’t official and that’s why Fleury knew about it before he had contacted him.
Since he doesn’t want to play in Chicago, it leaves the question “where will he be playing?” unanswered, but going back to Pittsburgh could be an option for the 36-year-old.
2. Carolina Hurricanes closing in on a one-year deal with Tony DeAngelo
After being bought out by the New York Rangers, there were rumours that the Canadiens were interested in signing DeAngelo, but today, it’s the Hurricanes.
Hearing #Canes are closing in on an agreement with UFA D Tony DeAngelo.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 27, 2021
Not done yet. But expecting a 1-year deal. There was lots of interest and the opportunity to play for Rod Brind'Amour was appealing.
@DFOHockey
DeAngelo was suspended after reportedly violating the OHL’s harrassment, abuse and diversity policy, when he directed a slur at his teammate. He has a history of making these kinds of comments, and also allegedly was involved in an altercation this past season with Alexandar Georgiev, his teammate at the time.
Although he is a talented offensive defenceman, I would think this is not what a team would want in their locker room, and after being bought out by the Rangers, I wouldn’t have thought that he would be signed by another NHL team.
Nothing is official yet, but it seems like it will be happening soon.
3. PM and Canadiens sponsors showing discontent with their decision to draft Logan Mailloux
In a statement today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “deeply disappointed,” and that the Canadiens need to explain their decision in drafting Mailloux.
There have also been a lot of mixed feelings about the draft, but it was expected.
After St-Hubert BBQ said it’s weighing whether to stop advertising with #Habs, Groupe Jean-Coutu and Desjardins Group said they have contacted the Canadiens to express their displeasure with the team’s decision to draft Logan Mailloux #HabsIO. https://t.co/FfhqyUkekR
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) July 27, 2021
St-Hubert BBQ might stop advertising with the Canadiens, and Groupe Jean-Coutu, Desjardins Group, and La Cage are uncomfortable with the Habs’ decision.
An action plan to help Mailloux hasn’t yet been shared by the Canadiens’ organization, and as long as they don’t do anything, this situation will stay the same.
Free agency starts tomorrow at noon, so if the Canadiens are planning on re-signing any pending UFAs, now is the time or they will be hitting the market in less than 24 hours.