Top 5 free agent forwards the Canadiens should pursue in the 2024 offseason
The Montreal Canadiens won’t have a ton of cap space in the offseason, so big-name free agents at forward won’t come to Quebec, but a few will fit the franchise’s budget.
The Montreal Canadiens may have little going for them in cap space before adding potential LTIR, but they do have a foundation that could at least turn the corner next season. Since they reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, it seems as though the Canadiens just cannot get out of the Atlantic Division’s basement, and that could be the case when the regular season reaches its ultimate conclusion.
Either way, the good news is that they have improved each year since the rebuild began. Following the 2021-22 season, this team finished with just 55 points, but that number improved to 68 last year. For 2023-24, the Habs will end the season with at least 72 points, if not more. A small, albeit an improvement nonetheless.
One reason this team has gotten better is because the core has built chemistry and gained experience. This makes all signs point to an even more exciting 2024-25 season, especially as we’re closer than ever to identifying who will be with the Canadiens for the rest of the decade. But not every player on that core needs to come from within the organization, or from the outside as ultra-young players.
It wouldn’t hurt the Canadiens to sign a forward or two in 2024
There are a few routes the Canadiens can take here if general manager Kent Hughes is interested in adding some talent that could cause a stir among the fanbase. He may look toward discarded restricted free agents, and in the following slides, there are three listed. One could easily return to their current team, but during the offseason, the unexpected often happens, so he made the cut.
There is another player who is older but would provide more leadership, and he also has an accomplished track record in this league. So, who are these players, and what kind of value would they bring to the Montreal Canadiens?
Casey Mittelstadt would further weaken a division rival
Thanks to his performance so far with the Colorado Avalanche, pending restricted free agent Casey Mittelstadt could find himself back in a burgundy uniform next season. But here’s the kicker: Colorado isn’t faring too well in cap space, themselves, plus they have 10 pending free agents and star players Mikko Rantanen and Alexandar Georgiev eligible for extensions.
Ultimately, what happens with Mittelstadt depends on what general manager Chris MacFarland decides to prioritize. If it’s Ranaten and Georgiev, it could mean Mittelstadt, whose next contract may range between $4.5 and $5.5 million for at least three years, goes elsewhere.
There is hardly a chance he returns to the Canadiens division rival, the Buffalo Sabres, as they would have just extended rather than trading him for Bowen Byram. So that would leave him to land with his third team in a calendar year should MacFarland decide not to extend a qualifying offer, showing that he would have been nothing more than a rental.
But Mittelstadt is still young and productive, with 56 points and 18 goals in 77 games. Sure, he’s fit well with the Avalanche, but cap space and priorities will ultimately decide if he remains in Denver.
Adam Henrique may be an experienced, cost-effective addition
Like the Avalanche, the Edmonton Oilers are another organization that won’t keep everyone around who they traded for, and Adam Henrique, thanks to his age, would be looking to go elsewhere. What makes Henrique worth targeting is that he won’t be looking for the big money at this point, though he could be seeking to play for a contender.
The latter means he wouldn’t consider coming to Montreal, but it’s also worth noting that Henrique would be heading to a franchise that is at least a step ahead of the Anaheim Ducks, who traded him to Edmonton near the deadline. So if a contender isn’t exclusively on his mind, there’s a chance Henrique could end up in Quebec.
The Canadiens have also identified much of their core, with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield leading it as perhaps the next great one-two combo in the game. Juraj Slafkovsky looks like a former first-overall pick, and these are just a few players who are slowly making the Habs more relevant.
If Henrique sees that up-and-coming relevancy, perhaps he looks past the team’s youth and lack of success over the past three seasons and signs. If he shows even the slightest interest, the longtime center provides depth and leadership for this young NHL team.
Kaapo Kakko may not have done enough to justify staying in New York
Kaapo Kakko would have been an excellent ‘buy’ at the trade deadline, but March 8th came and went, and the former second-overall pick stayed with the organization that drafted him. But with 19 points in 58 contests as the NHL season heads into its final full week, you can’t help but wonder whether this is it for Kakko in New York City.
Like Mittelstadt, Kakko is another player who will be a restricted free agent, so the Rangers can easily retain him. But he’s taken a step back, and for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, general manager Chris Drury will be considering all options before seeking to bring back Kakko.
Should Drury decide to let him walk, Kakko would likely become nothing more than a bottom-six player after having failed to play regular top-line minutes since he first entered the league in 2019-20. But, depth will be important for this Canadiens team as the younger players with the big club take on even larger roles if they haven’t yet done so.
Kakko is at least proven enough to play such a role, and for a team still in its building phase, why shouldn’t general manager Kent Hughes look to bring him in on a one-to-two-year bridge deal? At this point, his presence wouldn’t hurt and could very well help the Canadiens.
Anthony Beauvillier could be a sleeper in this year’s free agency class
If there is one forward you can’t underestimate in this offseason’s free agency class, it’s Anthony Beauvillier. He hasn’t enjoyed a good season, having done little in three different uniforms - 22 games with the Vancouver Canucks, 23 with the Chicago Blackhawks, and most recently, 12 with the Nashville Predators.
His point total is as uninspiring as it can get, with just 16 in 57 contests as the final week of the regular season approaches. Of those 16 points, five of them are goals, and it is a career-low. Thanks to his AHL-caliber play this season, you may be curious as to why he’s on this list.
One reason is that a player like Beauvillier has become low-risk with a potentially high reward. He’s just 26 and he can also be one of the more versatile forwards in the upcoming class. He can be physical, and with 31 takeaways, it also shows defense and bottom-three forward minutes could be his ultimate niche.
But let’s also not forget that earlier in his career, Beauvillier has also been a solid goal-scorer, and there is always a chance he could wind up being that kind of player again. If so, it would be huge for whomever he plays for next.
Lukas Reichel may not wind up back in Chicago
The third pending restricted free agent on this list, Lukas Reichel’s career with the Blackhawks has been nowhere near what everyone expected, and it could prompt general manager Kyle Davidson to forgo the opportunity to bring him back.
Unlike Mittelstadt and Kakko, although one took a while to get going and the latter has yet to break out, Reichel has been so ineffective at times that he’s bounced between the NHL and the AHL. Last season, Reichel looked like he was coming around in the 23 games he played for the Blackhawks, tallying 15 points and seven goals, with top-six minutes to go along with it.
This year, he didn’t take a step forward, and you can argue he took a few steps back, with just four goals and 14 points in 61 games as of April 11th. Reichel’s average total ice time decreased by over two minutes, and like Kakko, there is a chance the bottom-six and a defensive-oriented game could be his ceiling.
But once again, for an organization that should be at least another year outside of playoff contention, it also shouldn’t hurt to try and sign Reichel and to see if he’s a good fit if he’s available.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)