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.

Jack Gorniak

Jack Gorniak was a 4th round pick of the Canadiens at the 2018 NHL Draft. He was elected out of high school hockey in Wisconsin where he put up some huge numbers at a lower level than many top prospects were playing.

Gorniak was expected to take some time to adjust to the college game in 2018-19 but fit in quite well right away for the Wisconsin Badgers, scoring 15 points in 37 games.

Though he lacked high end skill, Gorniak more than made up for it with a tremendous work ethic as well as blazing speed. His combination of size and skating made him an intriguing prospect after that initial college season, but he didn’t really develop any offence after that.

He was used in a bottom six role by Wisconsin, and just finished his fourth season with 15 points in 37 games. That is the exact same production he put up as a freshman.

While that production looked promising from a first year college player, it just doesn’t look as good coming from a player in his Senior season. That season came to a close last weekend, so the Canadiens now have until August 15th to sign Gorniak to a contract, or he becomes a UFA.

My guess is he becomes a UFA, though he could be a decent depth player for an AHL team next season. The Canadiens just can’t use one of their 50 contracts on him.

Brett Stapley

Brett Stapley was a 7th round pick of the Canadiens in 2018 after a couple of successful seasons in the BCHL with the Vernon Vipers. He scored 59 points in 52 games before heading off to begin his college career.

Stapley suited up with the Denver Pioneers starting in the 2018-19 season and showed some great defensive abilities right away. He also held his own offensively as a first year college player scoring five goals and 19 points in 32 games.

He scored five goals again in his second season, but added 25 assists for 30 points in 35 games. Last season was a grind in many ways, as Stapley battled injuries and several Covid disruptions throughout the season. He finished with just 13 games played and had seven points.

This season, he is at the top of his game. He has been playing a third line centre role, but also plays on the power play and is a key member of the team’s penalty killing unit. He does all the little things incredibly well like winning face-offs, blocking shots, playing smart positional hockey, taking care of business in the defensive zone and winning battles.

Oh, and he also scored 38 points in 34 games this season. He added more of a goal scoring touch this season, sniping 14 goals in the regular season, which equals his total from his first three seasons combined.

It is easy to make comparisons to Jake Evans who was also a 7th round pick, also scored just about a point per game in his second college season and put up over a point per game in his fourth season. Evans was also better in the defensive zone than the offensive zone and that all matches the description of Stapley’s game.

Stapley has shown some offensive flair from time to time but his defensive game and attention to detail are what will make his a good pro. With Denver ranked as one of the top teams in the country, Stapley’s season is far from over, but when it does end his college career is complete as well.

The Canadiens would be wise to get him under contract as soon as they can.