Montreal Canadiens: Three NCAA Prospects The Habs Need To Sign or Lose By Season’s End

The Montreal Canadiens are now ten days away from the NHL’s trade deadline.

They have already started dealing, hooking up with the Calgary Flames on a big trade that sent Tyler Toffoli west and brought back a package that included a first round pick, prospect Emil Heineman, a fifth round pick and veteran winger Tyler Pitlick.

Obviously the major pieces in the deal are the first round pick and the prospect, but the inclusion of Pitlick is an interesting wrinkle that the Canadiens will have to take into account in future deals.

It is not that Pitlick is a key part of the trade, but NHL teams are only allowed to have 50 players under contract at any time. The Canadiens traded away Toffoli, but added Pitlick so they didn’t change the number of players they have signed in the system. They currently sit at 47 and will need to keep a close eye on that number as they make deals around the trade deadline.

Of course, the team is likely to be selling many pieces and not buying. So, they are likely to reduce that number and not increase it.

However, when making trades, other teams may not want to add another contract to their system. For example, instead of acquiring Ben Chiarot for a first round pick, the Toronto Maple Leafs may want to give up a first round pick and Alex Biega.

Biega is a 33 year old right defenceman who will be a free agent at season’s end. He has played almost the entire season in the AHL, but the Maple Leafs may insist on adding a player like him in a trade so they are not adding any contracts to their organization. Getting too close to the limit of 50 might tie a team’s hands and limit their flexibility in future trades.

The number of contracts sitting at 47 is something the Canadiens need to keep an eye on because they have several good prospects playing in college hockey that need to be signed following this season.

When an NHL prospect has played four years of college hockey, they are eligible to become a free agent in the offseason if they choose. They can sign with the team that drafted them and finish the season in their organization, or simply wait until August and then sign wherever they want.

The Canadiens have three prospects in the system that will have that option this year. They have to sign the prospect or lose their rights entirely. It is easy to say they should sign them all, but they have to keep that contract limit in mind when deciding which of these to sign and who to let walk.