Montreal Canadiens: What Does Nathan Legare Bring To The Habs?

The Montreal Canadiens acquired Nathan Legare in the three-team trade with the Sharks and Penguins, as he was the lone prospect involved in the blockbuster deal.

Following his other 2019 NHL Draft acquisitions, Kent Hughes opted for another player from the same class. Legare spent the 2021-22 campaign in the American Hockey League with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, and the native of Montreal, QC., managed eight goals, eleven assists and 19 points through 68 games during his second professional season.

Legare, was in part, a lesser asset in the trade that ultimately saw Jeff Petry head back to Montreal, and Erik Karlsson to the Penguins. While the Penguins got older acquiring Karlsson, they also dealt away some youth, in Legare who is just 22. Amongst a prospect pool in Pittsburgh that isn’t one of the premiere pools in the league, Legare put up respectable numbers.

Now, however, he will join a loaded Canadiens prospect pool, and play on a Rocket roster that will become the beneficiary of the Habs drafting. With new pastures, being his hometown, Legare has an opportunity to continue his development alongside some great talent. Much like Hughes did, Legare will assuredly bet on himself to best his previous two seasons, on route to establishing himself within the organization.

But who is Nathan Legare, and what exactly does he add to the Canadiens system? As a third-round pick, he didn’t exactly garner a ton of interest from the IIHF teams or pre-draft analysts. Not every player does, and that’s okay, he still has every opportunity to establish himself as a solid player, and perhaps etch a top-nine NHL role in his future.

Legare’s potential in Montreal?

The former Penguins forward grew up in close quarters to the Bell Centre, and his passion for the sport grew from watching his hometown Canadiens. So when Legare found out that he was joining his childhood team, it must have, in my opinion, been a flurry of emotions. Much like Crosby, Legare joined the Penguins, as a longtime Habs fan, the difference is that Legare will live out his dreams.

His career hasn’t exactly kicked off the way that he probably hoped it would, but a fresh start in Montreal could be beneficial for both parties. I say Montreal loosely because he will play in Laval in 2023-24, but he will have a much better roster to play alongside. It’s anybody’s guess where Legare will slot in, but one thing can be sure, he will have an opportunity to join some young, talented prospects and help the Rocket battle for a Calder Cup championship.

It’s a tall task and could end up way offside, but in predicting his potential point totals it gives an idea of what he might bring to Laval in October. Legare hasn’t been able to emulate the offence that he produced ahead of the 2019 draft when he scored 45 goals and 42 assists through 68 QMJHL regular season games, but in his next two season’s he did take on a bigger role as the team’s captain. While he didn’t produce a ton in his first two professional seasons, the Canadiens’ development team has proven important for Kirby Dach and Johnny Kovacevic, and I think they will do the same for Legare.

An NHL-sized player, who likes to shoot the puck and does it particularly well, Legare play’s a physical game in both the offensive and defensive zone. He is a strong skater and uses his size to create plays in the offensive zone and disrupt the opposing team’s offence. He looks to be a bottom-six potential NHL talent, and he could provide some grit and skill to Laval this year, and perhaps Montreal in the future.

Kent Hughes has done his due diligence on the 2019 NHL Draft and has now added a second prospect, alongside Alex Newhook from the ’19 draft. And his hope for an NHL role mirrors Hughes’ hopes for the Montreal native. The exciting Rocket roster just added another strong piece.

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