Montreal Canadiens: Three D The Habs Might Be Able To Get For Free

Nicolas Meloche

Another interesting potential waiver fit would be Calgary Flames defender Nicolas Meloche. The LaSalle, Quebec native was a decent scoring defender in his Junior days with the QMJHL, but can’t be counted on to bring much at that end of the ice these days.

The 25 year old is 6’3″ and 212 pounds and is simply a gritty, rugged, physical right shooting defender. He was a rookie in the NHL last season after a handful of AHL seasons and played 50 games with the San Jose Sharks.

Meloche was a third pairing defender for the Sharks who also helped out a bit on the power play. He has since signed with the Calgary Flames who are very deep on the blue line. Just on the right side the Flames boast Rasmus Andersson, Chris Tanev, and Mac Weegar. It doesn’t look like an NHL spot is open for Meloche.

That means he is likely to find himself on waivers. Could his hometown team have any interest? Why not? A big, physical defender who is still just 25 and has only 57 games of NHL experience under his belt could turn into a regular on the team’s third pairing for a few years.

It would at the very least allow the younger defenders like Guhle and Justin Barron to stay in the minors as long as they need, which is the priority for the upcoming season. Meloche wouldn’t be a flashy add to the Habs, but he could play here and there, possibly surprise as a penalty killer and ensure no young players are rushed to the NHL.

He is signed for just one season with a cap hit of $750,000 so there is no real financial risk involved.