I think Montreal should take whatever they can get for Josh Anderson and move on, he's clearly not a fit now, and won't be in a few years. That being said, if he's gone someone has to replace him, and unless Montreal end up with Celebrini in the draft they're gonna have to replace him via trade or free agency. With Anderson gone the team has just shy of 23 million dollars in cap space, and I think they should look to bring in two roster players.
1. A 2nd/3rd line forward. Looking at whose available in free agency this summer, guys that interest me include Daniel Sprong, Sean Monahan, and Jake DeBrusk. Sprong's a player I've liked since before he was drafted into the NHL, and now he's about to turn 27, on his 5th NHL team, and has only played 327 games across his 8 years in the NHL, that being said, over his last 2 seasons he's played a total of 125 games, scoring 37 goals and 47 assists for a total of 84 points, which over an 82 game season is a 24 goal, 55 point rate, not too bad at all. He's a guy that can play wing on both sides, can play basically anywhere in the lineup, and I think would be a great 2nd/3rd line winger to have on most teams in the league, and is my ideal signing. My alternative option to Sprong is Jake DeBrusk, whose a year older than Sprong, but can also play wing on both sides. 3 times in DeBrusk's career he has scored 25+ goals, and has a ton of playoff experience, with 73 playoff games in which he has 22 goals and 14 assists. My one concern with DeBrusk is that I think he'll end up getting a bigger contract wherever he signs, and that I doubt it's in Montreal given he's been a Bruin his whole career. I think if the Canadiens can move on from Christian Dvorak and bring Sean Monahan back to Montreal to replace him on a reasonable contract (3y x 5mil ish) then they should, but if Monahan wants to cash in on one last major contract I'd pass, he's a good player but Montreal have to keep the future in mind and I don't want them to be in a similar situation to the one they're currently in 3/4 years from now, where they are stuck with a bunch of overpaid veteran forwards that don't have a spot going forward. Another option if Dvorak is moved would be Tommy Novak, but I'm a bit skeptical on him still as he only made the jump to the NHL full time last year and is gonna be 27 in april.
2. A 2nd/3rd pair RHD. Similar to what Montreal already have in David Savard, I think if Montreal brought in another guy who can help mentor and challenge the young defensemen already on the roster, while being able to play at a high level and be the replacement for David Savard if he gets traded at the deadline or leaves via free agency. Guys like Sean Walker and Matt Roy are options but I feel they've got too much hype around their names that'll drive their value up too high for my liking, and don't want to give out a massive contract to anyone who's not apart of the core going forward. That being said, if Brett Pesce hits the market this summer the Canadiens should be all over him, I'd even be willing to trade a pick or something to acquire his negotiating rights to bring him in. Pesce is an elite defensive defenseman, one of the best there is right now, and while he only has 8 points this season he has some offensive upside, scoring 30 points last season, and being on pace for over 30 points in 4 seasons. I think a contract similar to what Devon Toews got from Colorado is a realistic estimate of what Pesce gets (7 years, 7.25 mil per), and while he turns 30 in november I think pesce would help the team both now and in the future, being the #1 guy on the backend while hutson and reinbacher develop before hopefully surpassing Pesce. A few cheaper alternatives are Dylan DeMelo and Alexandre Carrier, more similar to David Savard than Pesce but would be serviceable guys for a few years until the younger guys take over.
Not necessarily to LA, but they don't have a single goalie under contract next season, and have taken shots on older goalies before, so I think LA is a possible destination for Allen
Podkolzin is an RFA this summer, whose not got a chance in the NHL this year, and turns 23 this summer, a very similar situation to Kravtsov, who left the Canucks for the KHL when he was 23 after 3 years in north america, the only difference is that Podkolzin has been given more of a chance, playing 118 games in the NHL already, putting up 18 goals, 15 assists for 33 points, while Kravtsov had just 12 points in 64 NHL games, spread across 3 seasons, and 2 teams. I feel like a change of scenery could be great for Podkolzin, and the new management in Montreal have shown they're willing to take on a young forward who has upside and might just need a new opportunity to blossom into the player they were expected to become.
*there are probably picks involved in this deal, this is just a vague idea*
Montreal have too many young defensemen, someone's gotta go, and Harris is rumoured to be on the market. Most of the canucks defensemen are out of contract this summer, and Harris is a young defenseman that won't get consistent playing time in Montreal because of the amount of guys they have that are in the same situation as him. In Vancouver he'd be able to earn a spot in the lineup on a new team where he may have a longer-term future than in Montreal, and if it doesn't work out he only makes 1.4 million dollars and is out of contract after the season, so the Canucks wouldn't be stuck with him.
3.
MTL
2024 2nd round pick (WPG)
Additional Details:
Get some value by moving up in the draft, clears cap space and a roster spot for a free agent
Josh Anderson is not worth his contract most games, and this season he'd probably miss an open net when the puck is on the goalline, but when he's on his game he's a really good top 6 forward. He's a physical presence, with upside of being a 25 goalscorer, and his speed is underrated. Idk why but Josh Anderson seems like he'd be a good fit in Nashville to me, and I'd be willing to trade him to move up from a 3rd rounder to a 2nd.
Jake Allen to LA makes sense, but I don't see Montreal trading him.
Vancouver shouldn't trade Podkolzin.
Podkolzin is better than Harris.
Allens been in rumors and it's clear he's not part of the future, unless they move primeau but I don't think that they should do that unless the offer is too good to pass up on, but someone's gotta go, and it's ain't gonne be Monty
McDavid, Connor
$250,000)
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