Canadiens Looking To Land Star Players Via Free Agency

The main focus for the Montreal Canadiens is of course the upcoming trade deadline which is now less than a month away (March 21st). However, Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have admitted via Pierre Lebrun on the latest Insider Trading, that regardless of what happens at the deadline, the team is looking to be big players at the start of the free agency period.

The question of course is what kind of player would the Canadiens aim for? The logical answer would be hard working veterans on the cheap that will serve as mentors for the younger players as the team faces a potential rebuild. The rumors of a P.K. Subban reunion recently surfaced albeit a doubtful scenario.

Logical names would most likely include names such as Calvin De Haan, Mark Pysyk, David Perron, Antoine Roussel, Zach Aston-Reese or even a Pavel Francouz or Braden Holtby if the team is forced to go in a different direction between the pipes.

The names above are clearly not that attractive, but that’s the kind of players a rebuilding team would aim for. Players with a reputation of hard work and being good teammates. Some who already even have a Stanley Cup pedigree.

Our own John Wiens recently published his own article questioning if this is actually a rebuild or a retool. Fans might remember Marc Bergevin using the word “reset” for nearly a year when he started adding the likes of Tyler Toffoli, Joel Edmundson and Jake Allen to name a few examples.

So if the Canadiens aren’t actually rebuilding and are simply shifting over some players in order to give the team a new identity to go with the core of youth, which free agents are we talking about now?

Patrice Bergeron and Kristopher Letang are obviously on top of the list. These are two former clients of Kent Hughes and they only have positive things to say about Montreal’s new General Manager. However, it’s hard to imagine them wearing a Habs sweater.

Bergeron has been a little ho-hum about his future in the NHL in general. He’s turning 37 in July and publicly stated that his next contract, if there is one, will be one year deals going forward since Father Time is starting to catch up. He’s still one of the elite two-way forwards of the game and will definitely go down as a Hall of Famer, but the lifetime Bruins will likely finish his career in Boston.

Regarding Letang, like most Montreal natives, he did the polite thing on TV saying that he’d love to play for the Montreal Canadiens. But does he really want to leave Pittsburgh? Letang is having an incredible season producing at a near point-per-game pace (6 goals, 41 assists for 47 points in 49 games) and even on a short-term deal, would fit in perfectly with any team. Just like Bergeron however, the question remains the same: Does he want to leave the team he spent his entire career with?

I believe more logical players in the UFA pipeline would be those that would make an immediate, strong and expensive impact. I’m talking about guys like Tomas Hertl and Filip Forsberg who are likely going to be the most coveted names during the free agency period. These are two explosive forwards who are at the peak of their skills in their careers and are hungry. However, how do we sell a team at the bottom of the standings to them as they are both looking to leave their respective teams who are in similar situations?

Maybe the Canadiens will go middle-of-the-road instead. Maybe rolling the dice on someone like Rasmus Ristolainen or chasing after Hampus Lindholm. Perhaps they’re looking more at an Ondrej Palat or Andre Burakovsky or Bryan Rust. Those names don’t sell tickets like a Hertl, Forsberg or Letang would, but they wouldn’t be roster plugs like a Cal Clutterbuck would be.

The following weeks will definitely shape the future of the Habs as there are no shortage of rumors involving the team. It is clear however that Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes are looking at every scenario possible…

…although we can’t help but wonder. Imagine adding Bergeron up front, Letang on the blue line and Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes. Even at their age, that could be something special.

Who do you think the Canadiens will aim for at free agency? Comment below!