5 seemingly unreasonable offseason moves that would make sense for the Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens have a great program going for them thanks to general manager Kent Hughes’ approach, but there are still moves to be made.
The Montreal Canadiens are an organization with a plan in place to build methodically, but they’re also in a decent position to try some rather unconventional tactics this offseason. Tactics that, if implemented, you may say, “This would be a head-scratcher,” but in hindsight, they could honestly be brilliant.
Sure, it would be normal to question all five transactions listed below in foresight, but when you think about each, they could benefit the Habs in the long run. Some of these potential offseason moves may only involve bringing in a player for a year, but the aftereffects would have a positive outlook for a young team like Montreal.
Just to be clear, merely saying these moves would “make sense” doesn’t mean I fully endorse them. In fact, I may critique some, if not all of those mentioned, if Hughes makes such moves. But just because I wouldn’t care for them, it doesn’t mean they wouldn’t make sense, especially if general manager Kent Hughes decides to be thinking ahead two or three seasons down the road.
Trading up in the 2024 NHL Draft
Take one look at the number of picks the Canadiens have in the 2024 NHL Draft, and you’ll know why trading up would be such a luxurious route. Now, this isn’t the preferred route or anything like that, since having the fifth pick is still an outstanding position to be in. But the Canadiens have the means to trade up in the weeks leading up to the draft, given their sheer draft capital.
If there is a player ranked between second and fourth who Kent Hughes thinks highly of, there is no reason he shouldn’t try to orchestrate a trade. And when you think about it, the Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, and Columbus Blue Jackets would, and should, all be willing to swap picks, with more assets coming from Hughes in such a trade.
The San Jose Sharks would be far out of the question, as no matter what Hughes would offer, general manager Mike Grier isn’t taking a chance to pass on the opportunity to draft Macklin Celebrini. But everything else is fair game, and well worth giving up assets for, such as a dynamic forward in Ivan Demidov, or another future top blueliner like Artyom Levshunov.
Signing Jack Roslovic
Yep, Jack Roslovic wouldn’t be a half-bad signing in Quebec, thanks to several different factors. He wouldn’t be an ideal signing everywhere, and to be honest, even a potential home in Montreal also wouldn’t be considered perfect. But Roslovic’s experience from this past season would make him a solid, experienced forward for a Canadiens team that could use one more versatile player.
Roslovic won’t be playing in the top-six in Quebec, something that was the case with the Columbus Blue Jackets when he logged 16:33 of average total ice time. He also showed he could be a decent complementary points producer in Columbus, where he put up 23 points and six goals in 40 games before Roslovic went to the New York Rangers and recorded another eight in 19 contests.
He would be a serviceable talent who would also find himself in a familiar with the situation in Quebec. But Roslovic was also part of a winning culture this season with the New York Rangers, who are in the Eastern Conference Championship as I write this. Few have seen it from both sides of the equation better than Roslovic, and that, along with his serviceable play, would make him valuable in Montreal.
Trading Brendan Gallagher
Here’s the situation: Brendan Gallagher is heading into his age-32 season, and he’s got another three seasons left on his deal. The deal carries an AAV of $6.5 million, and the Canadiens are on the hook to hand him $9 million this season. But there is good news: Gallagher’s base salary falls in each of the last two years of his contract, which would make him more than attractive as trade bait.
Because that salary falls to $6.5 million next season and $4 million the following year, a potential trade involving Gallagher could even negate the Habs need to retain anything. But why would it make sense to trade someone like Gallagher in the first place?
You can argue that it makes zero sense, considering his status as alternate captain and that he finished fifth on the team in goals scored. Gallagher was an effective asset in the middle-six and is a great leader. But there’s hardly any chance he will be in Montreal long after this Canadiens team starts winning, so the better option would be to move him elsewhere so a younger talent can take his place.
Signing an aging defenseman as a stopgap
This would make sense, thanks to my final counterintuitive offseason move, but I wanted to tackle this area first. An aging defenseman would bring a sound level of leadership for a year, and they would also make an outstanding mentor for the young crop of blueliners who could find themselves in the Habs rotation next season.
Sure, David Savard is there, but he’s someone who should go elsewhere via trade this summer. An older player in their age-35 season or later, one who enjoyed success this past year as a member of a successful, playoff-bound hockey team, would be more than ideal. And best yet, they could come at a slightly cheaper price than keeping Savard for the final year of his deal, even if that difference would be rather minute.
There are a few players who will be available this July, like Ian Cole or Tyler Myers, just to mention a couple of names. Another reason to bring in an older defender as a one-year stopgap is because this would also be the ideal time to trade a productive blueliner.
Trading Michael Matheson
Right now, Michael Matheson’s trade value would be more than through the roof, as he’s coming off of a 62-point, 11-goal season. Matheson will be heading into his age-30 campaign, so he’s still in his prime, but it’s a mystery of how much good hockey he still has left or if he will even hit those aforementioned numbers again.
But he was effective everywhere on the ice this year, and not just in the offensive zone. Matheson blocked 186 shots and stole the puck 49 times, all while logging a career-high 25:33 of average total ice time.
Matheson also wasn’t great at scoring double-digit goals, nor did he fare well in putting up 60-plus points until this season. So his value is high, even if it seems counterintuitive to trade him. But for a team still in building mode, there is a lot of young talent and potential draft picks that a contender for 2024-25 would exchange for Matheson. That said, it’s best a team like the Canadiens trade him while his value is at or near its maximum level.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)