One pending unrestricted free agent the Canadiens can steal from each team in the Metropolitan Division
The Montreal Canadiens can improve their team with a few stopgaps if they look outside the Atlantic Division when free agency rolls around in July.
The Montreal Canadiens could theoretically go about free agency 2024 without signing anyone new to the current lineup, call up prospects, and roll with one of the league’s youngest groups, if not the youngest. With little cap space prior to factoring in LTIR, such moves would make sense, but that would also come with risking the element of competition and organizational depth.
That wouldn’t be ideal for a group even if they didn’t plan on keeping players brought in from other organizations long-term. Looking at the Metropolitan Division’s eight teams and their pending unrestricted free agents, lower-liners, third-pairing defensemen, and players who could willingly supply organizational depth, there are quite a few solid names slated to enter free agency in 2024.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea for general manager Kent Hughes to at least consider some of these players, and each team in the Metro has at least one who will benefit the Habs. Let’s explore eight candidates, none of whom are huge names, who would make for solid, one-year free agent signings.
Stefan Noesen would bring an edge and moderate productivity
Stefan Noesen could have a Stanley Cup added to his resume over a month from now, and that experience alone would give Kent Hughes plenty of reason to sign a veteran who has over 365 games of experience at the NHL level. Noesen finished the year with a career-high in points and goals, but next to experience, physical play is a prime reason for the Habs to sign someone like the 31-year-old.
He isn’t a flashy name, much like many on this list, but that’s not a bad thing if you’re the Canadiens. With a strong prospects pool, Kent Hughes must focus on signing talent that won’t hold back prospects, and Noesen is one of those players. The difference, however, is that he can provide quality play in the meantime.
Brendan Gaunce could bring insurance, experience to Quebec
Much like Noesen, Brendan Gaunce is the kind of player who won’t keep any would-be young NHLer down in the minors for long. He won’t put up points with the Canadiens should Hughes bring someone like him in, but he would be great for winning faceoffs in the defensive zone and adding an intimidation factor.
Also, like Noesen, Gaunce won’t demand a large or even a lengthy contract, and he’s also someone who would understand his role as a stopgap. If injuries strike the Habs for any reason, Gaunce also has enough experience to step in and provide a serviceable effort on the lower lines.
Tomas Nosek would be an upgrade over Tanner Pearson
If you’re sensing a trend here, it’s that the players listed won’t bring anything flashy to the Canadiens, but they don’t need to. Kent Hughes has enough of that in his core, and players like Tomas Nosek, Brendan Gaunce, and Stefan Noesen would simply help this team win more games than they did the previous season or provide organizational depth if any of them signed.
Nosek could be the best and most preferred of the trio, thanks to his 434 games of experience in the regular season and the fact he’s played for multiple elite hockey teams. No, Nosek’s never won a Stanley Cup, but he’s one of quite a few free agent forwards out there who could show a young team how to be consistent.
Sebastian Aho is another good insurance policy, capable player
While he’s a rather undersized blueliner, Sebastian Aho would provide bottom-pairing awareness and perhaps even a physical presence. Across 58 regular season games in 2023-24, he spent time racking up hits and blocks, something that was rather surprising from such a small player.
He never saw action in the 2024 playoffs, so Aho’s time with the New York Islanders is most likely finished. If someone like him signed with the Habs, he would be an excellent defenseman to rotate in and out of the lineup or even to provide stellar organizational depth.
Erik Gustafsson would bring intrigue if the price was right
If he doesn’t seek a larger contract despite being over 30, Erik Gustafsson would provide a better stopgap than any other defenseman on this list. He’s given the bulk of his previous two teams 30 to 42 points a season, and as with Aho, he won’t be one to take time away from any younger blueliner seeking promotion to the big club.
Best yet, Gustafsson would make perfect insurance if injuries hit the Habs defensive rotation hard, as he has played top-four minutes in recent stops. If he’s okay with heading to a team still in its building phase, Kent Hughes should reach out.
Reuniting with Victor Mete may be a better option than you think
Victor Mete is another smallish blueliner, and he’s only seen ice time in 248 NHL games, with substantially more during his run with the Canadiens, in which he played in 185 contests and put up 34 points. Someone like Mete wouldn’t be a great fit for even a seventh blueliner, but his leadership would come in big in Laval.
The former fourth-round pick has worn an ‘A’ patch numerous times since his days in junior hockey, and that was the case this past regular season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. That said, if he signed with the Habs and returned to the organization, Mete would be a great leader for the youngsters playing for the Rocket.
Jansen Harkins developed an edge in Pittsburgh
Sometimes, it takes players a while to find their respective niches in the NHL, but Jansen Harkins discovered his with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played in 45 games this season and finished 74 body checks, a decent number, to say the absolute least, for the physical forward.
Overall, he would be a last resort signing if the edgier forwards listed earlier were no longer available. Harkins would also play a similar role with the Habs that he did with the Pens, and that would be as a part-time player who should be in the lineup if either injuries strike or if the team needed an additional physical presence.
A reunion with Max Pacioretty would be really cool
Another former Canadien, Max Pacioretty was more than just a serviceable player for the organization when he spent 10 seasons and 626 regular season games with the Habs, scoring 226 goals and 448 points in the process. He’s hardly been the same player since and now, the 35-year-old will be in journeyman mode from now until retirement.
But he’s also spent a lot of time with playoff-bound teams lately, and it would be awesome to see a former longtime Canadien return to Quebec and help the current incarnation of this team in its rebuild. If he signed, it would be for a one-year deal and maybe $2 million at this point, but there isn’t a more experienced player on this list to target in free agency.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)