Three NCAA Free Agents For Montreal Canadiens To Watch At NCAA Tournament
The Montreal Canadiens are once again near the bottom of the NHL standings and are trying to improve their team any way they possibly can right now.
They do have an intriguing pair of goaltenders on the roster as Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau look like they could be a steady duo for the next couple of seasons. Also, they have several options in the pipeline as Jacob Fowler, Jakub Dobes, Yevgeni Volokhin and Quentin Miller have all had impressive seasons in various levels of hockey.
Also, on defense, the team is loaded with young players like Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, Jordan Harris as well as prospects like Lane Hutson, David Reinbacher Justin Barron and Logan Mailloux who look ready to join the team soon.
Up front, things are not quite as impressive. Yes, the current top trio of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky could be together for a very long time but there are not many other options locked in behind them at the moment. Adding some help at forward should be the team's top priority and they could start by looking at players at the NCAA Tournament that begins later this week.
Here are five players about to play for college hockey's national title that could be on the radar for the Canadiens as potential signings this offseason.
Josh Nadeau
Josh Nadeau is a skilled winger who plays at Maine and is a freshman that has carried them to a strong season. He, along with his brother Bradly, who was a first round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes have carried the University of Maine to the NCAA Tournament.
Josh Nadeau is a freshman this season, but is already 20 years old and played the past two seasons with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL where he was dominant. He scored 44 goals and 110 points in 54 games last season and translated that into an excellent first year of NCAA Hockey as well.
The New Brunswick native scored an impressive 18 goals and 45 points in 36 games for Maine this season, helping them finish in the 5th overall ranking in college hockey at the end of the season. They will now face Cornell on Thursday as they look to make a run at a national title.
A lot of eyes will be on the Nadeau brothers, and the Canadiens should have a long look at Josh Nadeau who may not want to sign with an NHL team this offseason, but will one day down the road as he has tremendous skills.