Team: 2020-21 Montreal Canadiens

Initial Creation Date: Jan. 1, 2021

Published: Jan. 1, 2021

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Brassard:
I think MB missed out on adding Brassard at $1,000,000 as a UFA.
I would have started Brassard on the 4th line and sent Evans back to Laval. Evans and Poehling are waiver exempt so they can pass from the AHL to the NHL.
I'm not saying that Evans isn't ready, in fact I love the kid, I'm just thinking of injuries.
If 1 of Suzuki or Danault get hurt this year then we are looking at KK on 2nd line, and then either Weal, Evans or Poehling on the 3rd line.
I would have felt much better if Brassard could have move up to the 3rd line in the event of an injury at C and Evans being called up from Laval to play 4th line C.

Caufield:
Sign Caufield at the end of the NCAA season and send him to Laval so Bouchard can work with him.
Then bring him up for the play-offs, with the expanded roster, (not to play but to be with the team) to gain valuable play-off atmosphere experience.
Maybe do the same with Jordan Harris and bring Mattias Norlinder over at the end of SHL season.

Lehkonen:
It may look weird having Lehkonen as a healthy scratch but in reality I would have him splitting duties with Byron and Perry on the 4th line.
I would have Byron and Perry start 36 of the 56 games at LW and RW respectively, and have Lehkonen start 20 games at LW and 20 at RW.
So in actuality Lehkonen will make 40 starts, 4 more starts than Byron or Perry, and that is assuming we have zero injuries on the wings.
In the event of an injury to a winger, Lehkonen would move up to 3rd line playing on KK's LW and Toffoli moves back to RW and Drouin move up to 2nd line (assuming Toffoli or Drouin isn't the injured winger of course)
So in reality with injuries Lehkonen would actually start closer to 50 maybe even all 56 of the games this year, assuming he doesn't get injured.

Taxi Squad:
I am assuming that players who are waiver exempt can be sent down to the minors and called back up without having to be quarantined, but this may not be true.
If players can't pass from Laval to Montreal without quarantining then Evans and Fleury would have to be on the taxi squad.
When Byron is not starting I would move him to the taxi squad to save cap space, he wouldn't be claimed off waivers because of his cap hit.
Frolik is the player most likely to be claimed off waivers but there is no cap space to keep him as a healthy scratch.😢
Kulak is also a candidate to be stolen off waivers but I would sooner risk losing Kulak over Juulsen or Mete, but that is just my opinion.
There is an outside chance that Weal gets claimed but I doubt it, unless Chicago is super desperate for centers.

Defense:
I have changed the defense pairing at least a half dozen times, but I have settled on these pairings because I think that is what Julien will do.
I think Julien is the one who convinced Bergevin that we needed Edmundson so I think Julien will pair him with Petry.
Which leaves Romanov on the 3rd pairing most likely with Juulsen because Juulsen most likely won't pass though waivers to be sent down to Laval.
I think we are covered for the most part for injuries to our defense, unless Weber and Petry both get hurt at the same time then we are screwed.
(but what team wouldn't be screwed if their top 2 D-man get hurt at the same time?)
We have Kulak and Mete to fill in on the left and Fleury can be called up to play on the right side since he is waiver exempt.