A Busy Summer

It’s this time of the year again, the time where millions of hockey fans speculate on who’s going to change teams via trade or the Free Agent market. Montreal has never been really known for making a big splash on July 1st except in 2009 when Bob Gainey signed Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill. I don’t expect Marc Bergevin to pull a Bob Gainey any time soon but it’ll be interesting what he does to fill our needs. With the buyout of Kaberle, Montreal has $9,024,167 in cap space. That means that they have 9 million to spend on 3 or 4 players. We could also see a guy like Travis Moen who makes a lot for a 4th liner ($1,850,000) be traded to clear up even more cap space. Another thing to consider is that both Andrei Markov’s and Brian Gionta’s contracts are expiring after this season. I’ve stated before that I wouldn’t re-sign our captain after this season but Markov’s presence on the PP will be hard to replace.

Their salaries are a combined $10,750,000. Marc Bergevin will definitely have to avoid handing out long term contracts (< 2 years) since Montreal has a lot of players to re-sign in the next 2 years. PK Subban is one of them and we’re looking at a very lucrative contract here for the 2013 Norris winner. Lars Eller, Alexei Emelin and Raphael Diaz will all be looking for a raise since their contracts expire after this season. Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher will also have to renew their contracts in two years. Bergevin will have to use his money smartly this summer.

TOP 9 WINGER

After being a non-factor in the last stretch of the regular season and the playoffs, Bergevin decided that Michael Ryder would not be back with the team next season. In his second stint with the Bleu Blanc Rouge, he scored 10 goals and produced 21 points in 27 games. As much of a one dimensional player that Ryder is, Montreal will have to replace his scoring somehow. Bergevin and Therrien will have to once again invest in a top 9 oriented offense because none of their forwards currently has game breaking talent. Our depth on offense this year was our strength offensively, if one line wasn’t producing on a given night, there was always another line who could step up. Based on that, I’d say Montreal doesn’t truly have a 1st line.

It’s no secret that Montreal has to get bigger on the wing. Montreal had trouble scoring in the playoffs because they didn’t have a big winger who can crash the net and score ‘’garbage’’ goals. Rene Bourque was the only one to do that during the playoffs. The problem in that series was that Montreal had too many players playing on the perimeter (Ryder and Desharnais to name a few). No one was willing to go in front of the net to bury the rebounds that Craig Anderson was giving. Montreal will most likely target a winger who isn’t afraid to crash the net.

Option #1

Bryan Bickell, Chicago Blackhawks (Potential UFA)

6’4, 233 pounds, 27 years old, left handed.

Last season: 48GP, 9 Goals & 14 Assists. Current cap hit: $541,667.

Bryan Bickell will most likely be the most coveted Free Agent this off-season. His production in the playoffs (17 points in 23 games) has made many GMs turn their head and salivate at the possibility that he could test the market this summer. Bickell is exactly the type of player that any team would welcome with open arms. He’s big, he’s mean and he’s not afraid to go to the net. Bergevin has publicly stated that he’ll be aggressive on getting a deal done with Bickell if he decides to become a Free Agent (source: http://www.985sports.ca/hockey/nouvelles/bergevin-voudrait-bickell-montr-al-246643.html). Bergevin is familiar with Bickell since he got to work with him as the Director of Player Personnel of the Chicago Blackhawks. He brings the exact elements that Montreal is missing right now, a nasty SOB who knows how to use his frame effectively.

Some skeptical people are comparing Bickell’s recent success in the playoffs with the one that Fernando Pisani (2006 NHL playoffs) and Joel Ward (2011 NHL playoffs) had with their respective teams. The problem is that none of them had the size that Bickell has and none of them were ever promising prospects at one point in their career. Joel Ward was never drafted and Fernando Pisani was drafted in the 8th round. Some people forget that Bickell was drafted pretty high in his respective year (41st overall in 2004). It wouldn’t be the first time a big guy takes longer than usual to develop his offensive game. I recall a certain John LeClair who was another big winger that truly found his offensive game in his mid-20s. Another thing to take in consideration is that both players were a lot older than Bickell when they had their tremendous playoffs (Ward was 30 years old and Pisani was 31 at the time). Bickell’s detractors will bring up the fact that he plays with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews but its Bickell that creates space for those players. Kane and Toews only started producing after Joel Quenneville decided to put him on their line. Bickell isn’t afraid to pay the price as long as his teammates put the puck in the back in the net. I’ve seen him go toe to toe with Zdeno Chara on numerous occasions in the Boston/Chicago series. He’s without a doubt the type of player you go far in the playoffs with. One thing for sure is that Bickell will make a lot more next year than his current salary of $600,000.

My offer would be a 4 year deal worth $15,000,000 for an annual cap hit of $3,750,000.

Option #2

David Clarkson, New Jersey Devils (Potential UFA)

6’1, 200 pounds, 29 years old, right handed.

Last season: 48GP, 15 Goals & 9 Assists. Current cap hit: $2,666,667.

David Clarkson is one of the toughest players in the NHL. He can fight and he can also use his size effectively (169 hits in 80 games last season). Most of his goals aren’t pretty (they come off deflections or rebounds in front of the net) but he knows his job and does it very well. He’ll probably never repeat his production from last year (30 goals in 80 games) but he’s still good for something around 20 goals. He brings a constant threat in front of the net and much needed toughness in the line-up.

My offer would be a 3 year deal worth $12,000,000 for an annual cap hit of $4,000,000.

Option #3

Cal Clutterbuck, Minnesota Wild (Potential trade)

5’11, 213 pounds, 25 years old, right handed.

Last season: 42GP, 4 Goals & 6 Assists. Current cap hit: $1,400,000.

According to Michael Russo, Minnesota’s GM, Chuck Fletcher is looking to trade forward Cal Clutterbuck (Source: http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/211976351.html). Clutterbuck has established a name for himself in the last couple years for being one of the league’s top hitters. He led the league in hits in 2010-2011 by putting up 336 hits in 76 games. He also finished in the top 3 of the league last season (288 hits in 74 games). Clutterbuck also brings an offensive game along with his non-stop hitting. Before this season, he had 34 goals in his last two seasons with the Wild. His lack of scoring this year can be associated with his abysmal shooting percentage this year (4.6%) and his decrease in ice time (went from 16:21 a game in 2011-2012 to 13:44 a game this season).

My offer to the Minnesota Wild would be Gabriel Dumont and Montreal’s 2nd round pick for this year’s draft (55th overall).

Option #4

Viktor Stalberg, Chicago Blackhawks (Potential UFA)

6’3, 209 pounds, 27 years old, left handed.

Last season: 47GP, 9 Goals & 14 Assists. Current cap hit: $875,000.

Stalberg is not really what Montreal needs since he’s not particularly physical for a guy of his size but his tremendous speed would make a good fit with Montreal. He had a good season offensively last season (22 goals and 43 points in 79 games). He didn’t play much during the playoffs so he might become an afterthought for some GMs and could be an excellent pick up for the Canadiens.

My offer would be a 3 year deal worth $7,500,000 for an annual cap hit of $2,500,000.

SHUTDOWN DEFENSEMAN

I brought up in my last blog entry that Montreal needs to add a big defenseman who not only has the skills to play a shutdown role but also the ability the clear the front of the net. According to the last medical report, Alexei Emelin won’t be back in the line-up until at least December (source: https://twitter.com/ArponBasu/status/347745367544176640). That means Bergevin will have to find someone who can replace Emelin’s presence at the blue line for a good portion of the upcoming season. Emelin and Markov played a key part in Montreal’s success this year; they both played more than 17 minutes a night at Even Strength. No defenseman on the current roster brings the same package that Emelin does, his 110 hits (despite missing 10 games due to injury) is good enough for the 16th most amount of hits amongst defenseman in the league. Bergevin will be looking for a defenseman who can play the same tough minutes that Emelin was given this season.

Another thing to take in consideration is the development of our young defensemen. Nathan Beaulieu has showed flashes of brilliance offensively but he has to prove himself defensively in the AHL before he can play important minutes in the NHL. He has to go through the same process that PK Subban went through in his first professional season. PK didn’t earn his spot in the NHL until he started to dominate with the Hamilton Bulldogs. Beaulieu will also need to gain muscle mass because one thing I’ve noticed in his brief stints in Montreal is that he gets pushed around very easily behind the net. Aggressive fore checkers will have a ton of fun playing against Montreal if Beaulieu doesn’t bulk up.  Jarred Tinordi similarly showed the potential behind his 6’7 frame but he’s still not NHL ready in my opinion. He was exposed defensively in the Ottawa Senators series. I would let Tinordi and Beaulieu spend another season in the AHL to let them perfect their game before playing in the NHL full time.

Option #1

Rob Scuderi, Los Angeles Kings (Potential UFA)

6’1, 216 pounds, 34 years old, left handed.

Last season: 48GP, 1 Goal & 11 Assists. Current cap hit: $3,400,000.

Despite playing 4 complete seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Scuderi only started to get noticed by the hockey world during the 2009 NHL playoffs when he helped the Penguins win their first Stanley Cup since 1992. That year, Scuderi and Hal Gill both played a big part in shutting down other team’s offense and it was enough for him to warrant a 4 year deal with the Los Angeles Kings the very same year. Scuderi had the same impact when the Kings won the Cup last season. An interesting statistic is that he logged the 4th most minutes on the team both times he won the Cup. He’s not a flashy player but he knows how to get the job done. He plays a similar game to one of our own defenseman: Josh Gorges. He’s not overly physical but he knows how to use his stick effectively. In this year’s playoffs, he averaged more than 23 minutes a game, only Drew Doughty played more minutes than him (27:57). I think Scuderi and PK Subban would make a great pairing considering Subban and Doughty play a similar style.

My offer would a 2 year deal worth $7,000,000 for an annual cap hit of $3,500,000.

Option #2

Michal Rozsival, Chicago Blackhawks (Potential UFA)

6’1, 212 pounds, 34 years old, right handed.

Last season: 27GP, 12 Assists. Current cap hit: $2,000,000.

Rozsival has been quietly building himself a niche as a steady two way defenseman in the NHL. His style reminds me a lot of Roman Hamrlik: a defenseman that plays a simple and effective game (due in majority to his close to impeccable positioning), who can somewhat contribute offensively and be physical when he has to. He has an excellent breakout pass and good vision offensively. He’s the type of defenseman who can quietly play 20+ minutes a game, similar to what Dennis Seidenberg brings to the Boston Bruins. When the Phoenix Coyotes had their Cinderella run last year, Rozsival played on average close to 22 minutes a night in the playoffs. He would be a much better option on the second unit of the Power Play than Josh Gorges or Francis Bouillon. His handedness would also give some interesting options for Therrien with his pairings.

My offer would be a 2 year deal worth $6,000,000 for an annual cap hit of $3,000,000.

Option #3

Nicklas Grossmann, Philadelphia Flyers (Potential trade)

6’4, 230 pounds, 28 years old, left handed.

Last season: 30GP, 1 Goal & 3 Assists. Current cap hit: $3,500,000.

With the recent acquisition of Mark Streit, the Flyers now have a surplus of defensemen. Their top 4 now looks like: Kimmo Timonen, Mark Streit, Braydon Coburn and Andrej Meszaros. Luke Schenn and Nicklas Grossmann make a very expensive bottom pairing for them (thye make a combined $7,100,000). After the season that Schenn had, being arguably their best defenseman last season, I don’t see him being dealt. Paul Holmgren might look to trade away the 6’4 Swedish defenseman instead.

Grossmann is exactly what Montreal lacks on their defense, a big defenseman who can clear the front of the net. He logs a lot of minutes on the PK (more than 3 minutes on average a game), he hits a lot (81 hits in 30 games) and isn’t afraid to put his body on the line (82 blocked shots).

My offer to the Flyers would be Goaltender Dustin Tokarski and Montreal’s third round pick (86th overall) in 2013 for Nicklas Grossmann.

Option #4

Anton Volchenkov, New Jersey Devils (Potential buy-out)

6’1, 225 pounds, 31 years old, left handed.

Last season: 37GP, 1 Goal & 4 Assists. Current cap hit: $4,250,000.

After signing a lucrative contract with the New Jersey Devils in 2010 (6 year deal worth $25,500,000), Volchenkov might already be on his way out. There are rumors that GM Lou Lamoriello could use one of his amnesty buy outs on the Russian defenseman. The Devils have a log jam of defenseman in their organization (Bryce Salvador, Mark Fayne, Andy Greene, Adam Larsson, Henrik Tallinder are all coming back next year plus the possibility of them re-signing Marek Zidlicky and/or Peter Harrold). There’s also the fact that Volchenkov’s play has declined since signing his contract, he’s no longer worth that much. But that doesn’t mean no teams will be interested in his services, he’s still a solid hockey player, just a tad overpaid. He registered 51 hits and 50 blocked shots in 37 games this season. He plays on average 16 minutes a game but he’s a regular on the PK (he spends more than 3 minutes a game on the PK). He could be a low risk, medium reward type of signing for Montreal.

My offer would be a 1 year deal worth $2,000,000.

Option #5

Mark Fistric, Edmonton Oilers (Potential UFA)

6’2, 233 pounds, 27 years old, left handed.

Last season: 25GP, 6 Assists. Current cap hit: $1,475,000.

Mark Fistric is your prototypical stay at home defenseman. He won’t wow you with his offensive skills but he will punish you with nasty hits. Fistric is not a top 4 defenseman but he can still offer some solid hockey to the Canadiens if given the right role. He can play on the PK (averaged 2 minutes a game on it this season), he’s physical (88 hits in just 25 games) and he blocks shots (53 blocked shots).

My offer would be a 1 year deal worth $1,350,000.

4TH LINE CENTER

With the departure of Jeff Halpern, Michel Therrien will need a new man for the job. Therrien has shown in the past that he’s not one of those coaches who give their 4th line 5 minutes a night. He likes to roll all of his lines when the opportunity is there. As proof, Montreal’s 4th line which consisted of Travis Moen, Jeff Halpern and Colby Armstrong all averaged more than 10 minutes a game of ice time. Therrien also believes that the players on his 4th line serve a purpose for the team. Their role is to bring energy to the team and play important minutes on the Penalty Kill. This explains why Moen and Halpern both played on average more than two minutes on the PK every game.  

The team will be looking for a center whose strength is his defensive game and faceoffs. Montreal was the 13th worst NHL team on faceoffs this year. Other than Ryan White (54.5%), none of their centers are above 51%. That’s a big concern. The team badly needs a center who can take those crucial faceoffs on the Penalty Kill or on an important faceoffs in the offensive zone where the team needs to make sure that they will start with the puck. I would personally target centers that are right-handed for that vacant spot. If you take a look at the centers Montreal has, Gabriel Dumont and Ryan White (who will most likely play on the Right Wing) are the only ones that are right handed. Handedness can make a big difference on winning or losing a faceoff. That player also has to be able to play on the Penalty Kill to give Tomas Plekanec some well-deserved rest. In a perfect world, that player can also chip in the occasional goal.

Option #1

Boyd Gordon, Phoenix Coyotes (Potential UFA)

6 foot tall, 200 pounds, 29 years old, right handed.

Last season: 48GP, 4 Goals & 10 Assists. Current cap hit: $1,325,000.

Ever since joining the Phoenix Coyotes in 2011, Gordon has been quietly building himself a reputation as a solid defensive center. Dave Tippett, who’s known for his defensive system, trusts him enough to make him play against other team’s top lines every night. His faceoff percentage is 57.3% which is amongst the best in the league. A thing to take in consideration is that only 32.6% of those faceoffs were taken in the offensive zone so that means he took his team’s most important faceoffs. He was the most used forward on the Penalty Kill averaging 2 minutes and 51 seconds a game, another interesting stat is that his faceoff percentage on the PK remains very good (54.9%). He blocks a fair amount of shots for a forward (44, which is the 7th most for forwards in the league). He has adequate speed so he’s a good fit for Therrien’s system which relies a lot on speed.

My offer would be a 3 year deal worth $4,800,000 for an annual cap hit of $1,600,000.

Option #2

Maxim Lapierre, Vancouver Canucks (Potential UFA)

6’2, 207 pounds, 28 years old, right handed.

Last season: 48GP, 4 Goals & 6 Assists. Current cap hit: $1,000,000.

It’s been almost 2 years since Lapierre asked to be traded from the Canadiens because he didn’t like his role under Jacques Martin. With a completely different management now in place, I don’t think Lapierre would rule out a return with the organization that picked him 61st overall in the 2003 NHL entry draft. We know what we’re getting with Lapierre, an excellent pest that can play a regular shift in the NHL. He’s proven in the past (2010 & 2011 playoffs) that he can elevate his game when it matters the most. He uses his size with consistency, his 116 hits place him 26th in the league amongst forwards. Under Alain Vigneault, he averaged 12:35 minutes of ice time a game. He also played on average more than 90 seconds on the PK every game (1 minutes and 38 seconds on average). His faceoffs stats are a lot worse than a guy like Boyd Gordon but his faceoff percentage of 50.6% would still be the 2nd best on the Canadiens roster.

My offer would be a 2 year deal worth $2,700,000 for an annual cap hit of $1,350,000. Why 2 years? Because Lapierre has shown in the past that his on ice antics quickly makes him wear out his welcome with his new team. Plus his unwillingness to drop the gloves and back up his on ice antics gets him hated by his teammates.

Option #3

Dominic Moore, Free Agent

6 foot tall, 192 pounds, 32 years old, left handed.

Last season: 79GP, 4 Goals & 21 Assists.

Dominic Moore decided to take the year off from hockey after learning the unfortunate news that his wife was sick from a rare form of cancer (liver cancer). She sadly passed away on January 7th 2013. Now I don’t know what Moore’s plans are for his hockey career since he’s obviously still in mourning. If he decides to comeback, he would be a solid candidate for that available spot on the 4th line. In my opinion, he should have never left in the first place; Pierre Gauthier never replaced him properly. He’s a solid two way center who can play top minutes on the PK and win important faceoffs. He had a very good faceoff percentage with both teams he played with in 2011-2012: 55.7% (Tampa Bay) and 52.9% (San Jose). In Tampa Bay, he averaged 2 minutes a game on the PK. Marc Bergevin has shown in his short tenure that he doesn’t mind bringing back former Habs with the team (Francis Bouillon, Michael Ryder and Jeff Halpern) so I don’t think this is too farfetched.

My offer would be a 1 year deal worth $1,500,000.

4TH LINE WINGER

I don’t think too many fans are saddened by the news that Colby Armstrong won’t be with the team next season. Many people were critical on him for not being physical enough for a guy of his size (only 36 hits in 37 games). He was reliable defensively and played a mistake free game but it wasn’t enough for him to be re-signed by Marc Bergevin. For his replacement, the team will be looking for a player who has decent speed that can play a regular shift on the 4th line and on the PK. It wouldn’t hurt either if that player imposes his body more than Armstrong did during his time here.

If Marc Bergevin decides to move Travis Moen to clear some salary, I’m sure there are more than a couple teams that would be interested. He has a No Trade Clause and his cap hit is pretty high for a player of his calibre ($1,850,000), especially with the salary cap going down. A team like Edmonton would make an interesting trade partner, they have a lot of cap space and their new GM has publicly stated that he’s looking to build an identity on his bottom 6. If Marc Bergevin were to go down that road here’s a list of interesting names who could replace Moen.

Option #1

Ryan Jones, Edmonton Oilers (Potential UFA)

6’1, 201 pounds, 29 years old, left handed.

Last season: 27GP, 2 Goals & 7 Assists. 55 hits. Current cap hit: $1,500,000.

After scoring a total of 35 goals in his first two seasons with the Oilers, his production dropped significantly this year. One explanation for his drop in production is his excessively low shooting percentage (5.3%) which is a lot lower than his previous two seasons (14.3% and 12.4%). Another possible reason for the Ontario native’s disappointing season was that he was in the dog house of Head Coach Ralph Krueger. Jones played on average less than 13 minutes (12:58) a game compared to the 15:25 of ice time he was getting under Tom Renney in 2011-2012. Ryan Jones has really good speed which makes him a really good fit on a Canadiens team that’s already pretty fast. He lays the body on a consistent basis (119 hits in 2011-2012 and 152 hits in 2010-2011) and he used to play over 2 minutes a game on the PK under Renney.

My offer would be a 2 year deal worth $2,800,000 for an annual cap hit of $1,400,000.

Option #2

Eric Nystrom, Dallas Stars (Potential UFA)

6’1, 193 pounds, 30 years old, left handed.

Last season: 48GP, 7 Goals & 4 Assists. 122 hits. Current cap hit: $1,400,000.

Eric Nystrom had the best season of his career last year with the Dallas Stars when he scored 16 goals in 74 games. He’s amongst the top forwards for hits on a consistent basis (20th in the league this season, 28th last season and 28th in the 2010-2011). On average he’s played over 13 minutes in each of his last 3 seasons. He played more than 2 minutes (2:10) on average a game on the PK this season. He brings grit, penalty killing abilities and some scoring ability on the 4th line.

My offer would be a 2 year deal worth $2,700,000 for an annual cap hit of $1,350,000.

Option #3

Brian McGrattan, Calgary Flames (Potential UFA)

6’4, 235 pounds, 31 years old, right handed.

Last season: 21GP, 3 Goals & 49PIM. 32 hits. Current cap hit: $600,000.

If Bergevin is looking to add an enforcer on the team, McGrattan is the man for the job. McGrattan can brawl with the best of them. Teams within our division all have a goon on their team. Ottawa added Kassian before the playoffs, Toronto brought back Colton Orr and they also have Frazer McLaren, Boston has Shawn Thornton and Buffalo has John Scott. McGrattan would be beneficial for a guy like Brandon Prust who constantly has to fight players bigger than him; McGrattan can take care of that for him.

My offer would be a one year deal worth $650,000.

These would be my lines if everything went according to plan:

Option A

Max Pacioretty – David Desharnais – Rene Bourque
Bryan Bickell – Tomas Plekanec – Brian Gionta
Alex Galchenyuk – Lars Eller – Brendan Gallagher
Ryan Jones – Boyd Gordon – Brandon Prust
Ryan White – Brian McGrattan

Rob Scuderi – PK Subban
Andrei Markov – Josh Gorges
Alexei Emelin – Raphael Diaz
Francis Bouillon

Carey Price
Peter Budaj

Option B

Max Pacioretty – David Desharnais – David Clarkson
Rene Bourque – Tomas Plekanec – Brian Gionta
Alex Galchenyuk – Lars Eller – Brendan Gallagher
Eric Nystrom – Maxim Lapierre – Brandon Prust
Ryan White – Gabriel Dumont

Andrei Markov – PK Subban
Josh Gorges – Michal Rozsival
Alexei Emelin – Raphael Diaz
Francis Bouillon

Carey Price
Peter Budaj

* All of the stats used in this article were either found on NHL.com or on behindthenet.ca.