Fantilli turns Pro and MTL buys out Armia

Team: 2023-24 Montreal Canadiens

Initial Creation Date: Mar. 13, 2023

Published: Mar. 13, 2023

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

This post is my Prediction on what will happen so i can see how close i was.
If it was moves i wanted purely i'd Flip the FLA pick to STL and probably target Debrincat or PLD
But i feel neither ultimately ends up in MTL although im sure they use MTL as a Stalking Horse like many French Players have.
(Briere, Matheson , Perron, even Demers among many others)

I think MTL pick 5th OA is upgraded via Lotto for 3rd OA pick behind CHI and SJS. I think they select Bedard and Michkov. Michkov who's tearing up the KHL since his loan to team that can play him(went from TBL to CAR basically). SJS can afford to wait as skill wise all contract issues aside there are 2 elite players in this draft then a bunch of Future All Star and league leaders. But the gap between Bedard/Michkov and everyone else is wide. For a team just starting a rebuild the needed timeline doesnt intimidate them (atleast i dont think it would unless im wrong about the rebuild and its just a retool?)

-3rd OA MTL take Adam Fantilli

-15th OA MTL takes Eduard Sale or Dalibor Dvorsky rather then trade down when VAN and ARZ pick outside predicted rankings taking Reinbacher and Sandin-Pellikka .Similar to the free fall of Chychrun when BUF took A.Nylander over project Mikhail Sergachev. It happened again with Caufield when DET took Seider outta no where as i think the 3rd ranked D that year at 5th OA(clearly smart) but it started a domino effected

-28th OA MTL takes Michael Harabal(G)- Future Starter IMO but like 4-5 years work needed.

-37th OA MTL takes Oliver Bonk(RD)- Josh Gorges type who covers offensive Defensman.


Draft picks after that are a much longer conversation and i tap out at 2 rounds .
Onto the next problem to tackle being Roster Space and that means Armia is gone.

Armia's Buyout might span 4 years but
-34K year 1
-1.03m year 2
-143m year 3 and 4

Well IMO is just worth it to clear 3.35m on the high end and just under 2m cap on the low end.
If we could bury his contract for that cap hit , i'd keep him but his contract forced this conclusion.

I figure a gamble on Peterson could pay off given Sean Burke helped turn Smith and Dubnyks career's around as well as Montembaults for that matter.
Whats the harm in gambling on Peterson in a possible 3 goalie tandem as we have our AHL team close for call ups anyways if needed if he overachieves.
We can also keep him down to Laval and still have Burke work closely with him until Allen gets injured again
No real downside to the deal unless you look at it as MTL adding a year term .
Which is true but i see it as worst case Primeau is in a tandem with one of the AHL's best Veteran Goalies.


As i know someone will ask "what about Ylonen?"
Consistency is an issue but he'll earn his starts until Gally gets injured in November as per tradition.
Once Gally's on IR he'll have all the minutes he can handle and more.

Same idea with Harris but he'll cycle in for Barron, Kovacevic and Xhekaj often enough until Matheson goes on IR again.
Well really until anyone goes on IR again i just feel it'll be Matheson again

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