Canadiens Free Agents: Who Stays and Who Goes?

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The Montreal Canadiens are in for an offseason of change (hopefully). After a 32nd place finish in the 2021-22 season, they shouldn’t just run it back with the same lineup next season.

Of course, they do have to decide how good they want to be next season. Is it possible to go from last place to playoffs in one offseason? Possibly, but the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning are going nowhere next season so it will be extremely difficult.

With little chance of playoffs in 2023, should the Canadiens set their sights on the 2023 NHL Draft which features Connor Bedard? He is the best prospect to come along since Connor McDavid, so the Habs will have some company in trying to aim high in the draft lottery next season.

They will likely look at next season as a transition year. They aren’t going to promote a bunch of young players into the lineup full time, but instead will bring them along slowly. This is especially true on the blue line where players like Kaiden Guhle, Mattias Norlinder, Jordan Harris and Arber Xhekaj will all be playing their first full pro seasons in North America.

But you don’t want to face any of them into top four roles at the NHL level if they aren’t adequately prepared for it. But they do need to have room for big roles on the Laval Rocket.

So, the Canadiens should go into this offseason wanting to add a few veteran defenders who can play at the NHL level, but aren’t signed long term, and also open up some room for youngsters on the Rocket blue line.

With that in mind, which current Canadiens free agents will stay and which will walk away from the organization this offseason?

Restricted Free Agents That Need To Go

Teams usually hang on to almost all of their restricted free agents. All they need to do is give them a qualifying offer which is a one year deal that matches their 2021-22 season salary. You don’t see teams let these players go unless they are certain they don’t have an NHL future.

Kale Clague is probably the only RFA in the Habs organization that is likely to not get a qualifying offer. He was picked up off waivers last season, and though he showed tremendous speed and some skill with the puck, he had just five points in 25 games and was not good defensively.

Apr 29, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexander Romanov. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports /

Restricted Free Agents That Will Stay

Alexander Romanov is an RFA in need of a new contract and he will obviously get one. The top four defender could even sign a lengthy contract extension this offseason to stick around for a while. The 22 year old looks to be a fixture on the Habs back end and I could see him signing a six year contract with a $4 million cap hit.

Cayden Primeau should be the undisputed starting goaltender for the Laval Rocket next season and will definitely re-sign with the organization this offseason. Expect him to sign a two-year, two-way contract to keep him in Laval for a couple seasons.

Rem Pitlick was another waiver wire pickup by the Canadiens and he played great, even being promoted to the top line for a while. He had 26 points in 46 games with the Habs and is likely to sign a one or two year deal with a cap hit around $2 million.

Samuel Montembeault should also be back but it really depends on Carey Price’s status. If Price is out, the Habs need to sign Montembeault and let him play plenty during their “transition” year. Transition meaning they will lose a lot and try to get the first overall pick again. Even if Price thinks he will be back, it would be wise to sign Montembeault to a one year contract at $900,000 as an insurance policy.

Corey Schueneman made his NHL debut this season at 26 years old. He played well and should stick around next season to keep the young prospects in the minor leagues for the season. With just 24 games of NHL experience, Schueneman would come in at about $850,000 on a single year deal.

Michael Pezzetta was one of the few pleasant surprises on the Canadiens this season. He wasn’t expected to get anywhere near the NHL roster but he scored 11 points in 51 games. His hard work and dedication deserve a one year extension with a $800,000 cap hit.

Joel Teasdale has battled injuries throughout his pro career, but he plays a hard nosed style and brings an aggressive forecheck and some scoring touch to the Laval Rocket lineup. The 23 year old finished the season with 28 points in 44 games, finishing hot after a slow start. He deserves another contract and should get a couple years on a two-way deal.

Josh Brook had another injury plagued season. He played only six games this past season with the Rocket and another six in the ECHL with the Trois-Rivieres Lions. He did score six points in seven ECHL playoff games, giving just enough hope he can bounce back next season. He should get a one-year contract and compete with the youngster for minutes on the right side of the Rocket blue line.

Nate Schnarr arrived at the trade deadline for Andrew Hammond, and though he had just ten points in 20 games for the Rocket, he is just 23 and should take a roster spot from one of the pending UFA centres in the organization.

Apr 29, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Chris Wideman. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports /

Unrestricted Free Agents That Will Stay

Chris Wideman developed into the Habs poor play quarterback later in the season and though he was a third pairing guy all year, he has plenty of value. He developed a bit of chemistry with sniper Cole Caufield on the man advantage and was able to get the puck to the young goal scorer with consistency. He was fifth on the team in scoring in the final 27 games of the season, even though he only dressed for 22 of them, and he put up 16 points in that time. A one year contract with a $1.75 million cap hit would be ideal.

Laurent Dauphin played well for the Habs when called upon and had 11 goals and 16 points in 18 games for the Laval Rocket. Bringing him back to be a veteran leader for the Rocket would be wise.

Alex Belzile can fill a similar role for the Rocket. He is not really a prospect anymore at 30 years old but he had 22 points in 32 games for Laval. While the Rocket will have an influx of defencemen next season, they will be lighter up front with young players so they could use a few steady veterans.

Jean-Sebastien Dea would fit that bill as well. He had 26 goals and 52 points for the Rocket and is from Laval. He could play a leadership role and bring plenty of offence again next season.

Louis Belpedio has been a rock on the blue line for the Rocket this season. He plays the right side where the team could have Justin Barron and Josh Brook, but a 26 year old Belpedio would be a great veteran to have paired with a rookie pro like Guhle or Norlinder next season.

Apr 21, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens center Mathieu Perreault. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports /

UFAs That Need To Go

Cedric Paquette was brought in as a hometown depth piece for the Canadiens lineup but he was eventually demoted to the Laval Rocket. The 28 year old veteran of close to 450 NHL games will go elsewhere looking for another NHL opportunity.

Sami Niku played fine for the Habs, but again, the team needs to clear out a little space in the organization for Guhle, Norlinder, Xhekaj, Barron and Harris to play their first full seasons in Quebec. Niku, like Clague, just didn’t show quite enough and will have to leave to give younger players more opportunity.

Mathieu Perreault, like Paquette, was a local guy brought in to bring depth to the team. it didn’t really work out and he had just nine points in 25 games this season. The 34 year old might have just ended his NHL career.

Tyler Pitlick would probably be a decent option to play on a “transition” team in a bottom six role. But the Canadiens are already way overpaying a bunch of wingers, like Mike Hoffman, Joel Armia and Paul Byron to play in the bottom six so they don’t need him.

William Lagesson played just three games after being acquired at the trade deadline. The 26 year old was clearly just a throw-in to the Brett Kulak deal to balance out the contracts and he will move on this summer.

Xavier Ouellet has been the captain of the Laval Rocket for the past three seasons. He scored 41 points in 61 games this season, but it is time to pass the torch to the younger defencemen. Guhle, Xhekaj, Norlinder and Gianni Fairbrother all shoot left and Corey Schueneman and Jordan Harris could spend some time in Laval next season as well. You don’t want a player like Norlinder sitting as a healthy scratch in the AHL, so they need to make room by letting Ouellet walk.

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