Montreal Canadiens: Four Free-Agency Predictions

Free agency will be officially starting at noon and all the remaining free agents will be able to get deals from other teams and sign with whoever they want. The only UFA the Montreal Canadiens have re-signed is Joel Armia.

That means the Canadiens’ remaining UFAs are Phillip Danault, Tomas Tatar, Corey Perry, Eric Staal, Jon Merrill, and Erik Gustafsson.

Rumours suggest that Danault has made a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights, so I will not include him in this piece, but here are my Canadiens predictions related to free agency:

1- The Montreal Canadiens sign Dougie Hamilton

I know it doesn’t seem very doable, but with Shea Weber on LTIR and with Phillip Danault and Tomas Tatar most likely leaving, it could be possible. Though, the Canadiens need to keep in mind that Nick Suzuki will be an RFA next offseason, and he will be expecting a good contract, so they will need some cap space then. But Hamilton would be a great addition and source of offence to the Habs.

Instead of getting Hamilton, the Canadiens could also look for a forward, but it’s really their blueline that needs to be worked on, and signing Hamilton should be a priority.

2- Eric Staal retires

Staal had said at the end of the season that he wasn’t sure of what he would be doing next season, and that he would have to take that decision with his family. The soon-to-be 37-year-old might want to retire and spend more time with his family after being in another country for months because of COVID-19 restrictions.

He could also be looking for a one or two-year deal before retiring, but my prediction is that he hangs up his jersey for good.

3- Tomas Tatar goes to another Canadian team

Tatar is not expected to come back to Montreal next season, and I think he might go to another Canadian team, like the Toronto Maple Leafs. He could either play on their first or second line, either with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, or with John Tavares and William Nylander.

He’s a good left winger but just doesn’t fit in this Canadiens’ lineup, but the Leafs could use him, and I could see him going there if he doesn’t expect a big contract.

4- Corey Perry leaves the Canadiens

Perry had made it clear that he loved playing in Montreal and wanted to stay here, but since the clock hit midnight a while ago and there was no announcement about him re-signing with the Canadiens, it probably means that he will be hitting the market at noon, which wouldn’t be ideal for Montreal.

There are so many reasons to be interested in signing Perry (experience, skill, physicality…), and if the Canadiens aren’t willing to offer him an appealing contract, other teams could and he could easily sign for another two or three years.

Nonetheless, this has been a very busy offseason, and with free agency starting soon, it will only get crazier.