Three Montreal Canadiens Just Playing Out The String With Organization
The Montreal Canadiens did a little tinkering with their roster ahead of the trade deadline. Teams had until Friday, March 8th to make trades and get their rosters set for the postseason,
Of course, the Canadiens did not have to worry about the postseason, but they had a few players they wanted to trade to contending teams to get something that will help them in the future. As a rebuilding team, it makes sense to move out veterans, especially those on expiring contract, and get what you can in return.
The Canadiens made two great trades leading up to the deadline. One saw them move Sean Monahan, a pending unrestricted free agent, to the Winnipeg Jets for a first round pick. They could also get a future third round pick in the Jets win the Stanley Cup this season. (Go Jets Go!)
In a more surprising deal, the Canadiens traded Jake Allen to the New Jersey Devils for a third round pick that can be upgraded to a second round pick if Allen plays 40 games or more next season. Also, whatever team Allen is on next season has to make the playoffs. The Canadiens had to eat half of Allen's contract so they will be on the hook for just under $2 million next season to have Allen play elsewhere, but it could net them a second round pick in the future.
There were a few other players that we know won't be around the Canadiens long term that could have been traded before the deadline but were not. David Savard comes to mind but he has another year left on his contract and will continue to mentor the young defense for a while longer. He could even stay through next season.
There are a few other players on the roster that we know won't be back next season. Here are three players that are just playing out the string with the Canadiens for the remainder of the season and will be gone in the summer.
Colin White
The Montreal Canadiens picked up Colin White from waivers earlier this season, and it was understood it would be a stopgap solution at the time.
Right now, the Canadiens have centers Kirby Dach and Christian Dvorak on injured reserve and they also traded Monahan earlier in the season. It left them pretty thin down the middle of the ice and they have been forced to use Rafael Harvey-Pinard at center at times though he would be much more well positioned on the wing.
So, they scooped up Colin White when the Pittsburgh Penguins placed him on waivers. He had played 11 games with the Penguins and was held scoreless and has since played five games for the Canadiens and has also been held scoreless. He is clearly a placeholder for the remainder of the season while the Canaidens have a few injuries they are dealing with.
By the time next year's training camp rolls around, Dach and Dvorak will be healthy, Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans will still be under contract and those four will have the opening night lineup spots nailed down at center.
The team also has Brandon Gignac signed and though he is likely to start the season in the AHL, he could be the extra center that gets called up when the first injury occurs. They will also have Owen Beck playing pro for the first time and don't want to have too many veteran centers blocking his path to an NHL spot if he earns it in training camp, or pushing him down the depth chart with the Laval Rocket if he does not make the NHL right away.
Jesse Ylonen
Jesse Ylonen was a promising prospect for the Canadiens and looked to be a future steady two-way winger who could play on a third line and contribute some offense while also playing great defensively at the same time.
He quickly showed he could be a top line player at the AHL level with the Laval Rocket. His last stint in the minors saw him score 11 goals and 32 points in 39 games in the 2022-23 season. He also had 16 points in 37 NHL games, showing a bit of a scoring touch on a team we all remember was decimated by injuries and just not that good last season.
He is now waiver eligible and can not be sent down to the Laval Rocket so he has been on the NHL roster all season. He has played 51 of the team's 64 games, but just has not been that effective this season. He has scored three goals and seven points and doesn't look like the same smart, defensive wizard we thought he could become when he was younger.
Ylonen had to wait a really long time last offseason before finally signing a one year contract with a cap hit of $775,000. With his production dropping off dramatically, and several veterans wingers signed long term that will be playing bottom six roles next season, there really isn't a spot for Ylonen on a healthy roster right now.
There would be if he played well enough and forced someone else, like Josh Anderson or Brendan Gallagher, down the lineup. But he jsut hasn't and he is starting to look like a player who could be moved for a late draft pick or a different young prospect to see if a change of scenery can help.
Tanner Pearson
The Canadiens brought in Tanner Pearson last summer as a cap transaction as much as anything. They were looking for a taker for Casey DeSmith (when they had four goalies and not just three) and found a trade partner with the Vancouver Canucks.
The problem was cap space and the Canadiens took back Tanner Pearson in order to make the deal work from a financial standpoint. Pearson is a former Stanley Cup winner with the Los Angeles Kings, a team he played a key role on when they won, but was coming off significant hand and wrist injuries that caused him to miss most of last season.
He is in the final year of a contract that has him taking up $3.25 million of cap space, which probably limited his trade market. An intelligent, veteran player is always in demand at the trade deadline, but he just takes up too much cap space to make a trade work.
That is especially true considering he has five goals and 11 points in 45 games this season. It has been great to see him (mostly) healthy again and he is a trusted veteran to have on a rebuilding team.
But, the Canadiens have Anderson, Gallagher and Joel Armia as veteran wingers who belong on the bottom six and don't really need another one. That would make it unlikely that Pearson, at 31 years of age, will re-sign with the Canadiens next season.
Expect him to play out the season with the Canadiens, but this will be the last we see of him in Montreal.
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