3 players the Canadiens can take from the Canucks in NHL free agency

Few teams have more pending unrestricted free agents than the Canucks, so one of them may land with the Montreal Canadiens come NHL free agency.

Montreal Canadiens v Vancouver Canucks
Montreal Canadiens v Vancouver Canucks | Derek Cain/GettyImages
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Sam Lafferty, F

Sam Lafferty is another player with a style similar to Dakota Joshua’s, and he, too, isn’t afraid to get disruptive to break up plays and when in the offensive zone, to score a solid number of goals. You may scoff at the mere 13 times he found the net this season - a career-high, by the way - but let’s consider the 16.7 shooting percentage, which was also a career-high. 

No, Lafferty probably wouldn’t hit that lofty number in Montreal, but it still shows that he’s got the ability to score a little more than you may think when he’s firing pucks at the net. Lafferty also outplayed his possession quality of minus-3.9 at even strength, finding himself on the ice for 34 goals for and 32 against.

It’s also worth pointing out that he did a much better job helping the Canucks move the puck and set up chances with a Corsi For of 48.2 at even strength. It doesn’t seem like a great number until you factor in that it was also a career-high in seasons when he played in at least 34 games. 

The downside with a player like Lafferty over someone like Joshua is that the former doesn’t have the potential to stick around long-term, or at least that’s the case now. Dakota Joshua is a little younger, and the breakout campaign he enjoyed signifies that he could sign for a reasonable deal and be in Montreal for at least a few seasons. 

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