Training camp and preseason must be all business this year. Keep it small. The kids must outperform the vets to earn their ticket to the show. If not, they continue their apprenticeship in Laval. Deadwood vets get demoted to Laval if they cannot keep up. Hopefully some depart via waivers on the way down. Vets clearing waivers increase likelihood of retained salary deal(s) in that trade partner will have the flexibility of keeping their new acquisition in the minors if/until needed.
If possible, re-sign Monahan to one year incentive-laden contract which he is eligible for due to previous injury time lost. If he can come back, we can extend or flip. If not, he goes to LTIR. Potentially, he still has significant value.
Take a flyer on Gawanke or similar advanced RD prospect sending Norlinder or similar LD in exchange to help rebalance our D prospects.
Sign a young overlooked G who still has some potential. My candidate is Devin Cooley or similar UFA or an undrafted junior graduate like William Rousseau. DO NOT throw futures and/or big money at acquiring a goalie without a proven track record of consistency.
Sign Davidson to one year AHL audition deal with Rocket in the manner of Harvey-Pinard, Simonneau and Stapley before him. Do same with Sobolev, a hard-hitting defensive right defenceman. Then we can make decision in one year to sign them to NHL entry deals, or not, based on performance.
Mesar goes back to Kitchener of OHL. I would explore having Beck play in Europe like we did with Tourigny.
I don't know what the deal with Patrik Puistola is but, on the surface, it seems he is a decent prospect yet to come over from Finland. MTL could try to sign him if EDM doesn't have space for him. Is there something I'm missing with Puistola?
Projected for Laval: Heineman, Armia, Slafkovsky, Roy, Farrell, Kidney, Xhekaj, Struble, Wideman, Mailloux, Allen
For this draft, it would be great to move into the #10-15 range using our 1st (FLA) + 2nd (MTL) + Struble + Mysak. Don't know if can find a dance partner though.
I agree with another year of not making big changes and getting another very good draft pick in 2024. Hopefully a right handed d-man after they draft Michkov or Smith this year.
Has anyone talked about the possibility of Pierre Luc Dubois coming to Montreal at some point?