After focusing solely on development and asset accumulation for two and a half seasons, the Montreal Canadiens shifted their emphasis to results this past season, and it paid off. Not only did the young group meet management’s expectations of playing meaningful hockey in March and being in the mix, but they exceeded them by qualifying for the playoffs.

How far a turn towards results have they taken, though? Is it time to pounce on an enticing free agent? Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton said in their end-of-season press conference that they wouldn’t speed up the rebuild, but when there was an opportunity to bring on sniper Patrik Laine for not much last year, they jumped at the occasion. Now, it appears that a real top-six winger with a lot of upside will be testing the market. Can they stand pat?

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Ehlers reportedly wants to sign somewhere where he’ll be able to win; that’s not going to be the Canadiens’ yet, but the proof of this young core’s progression is undeniable, and the league has taken notice of the work Martin St-Louis has been doing. He has turned out to be quite a leader and a coach that players want to fight for. He’s not your typical Canadiens coach who had to put all of his eggs in Carey Price’s basket and hope the netminder could protect them all miraculously.

As for Hughes, he has unsurprisingly shown he’s a master in the art of negotiation; years of working as a player agent will do that to you. What the Canadiens’ GM wants, he usually gets. See the contract extension signed with Jake Evans this season, which was below market value, but he got Evans to sign it because he sold it to him.

Hughes believes in the perennial contender he’s building, and I firmly believe that he can also sell it to a free agent. Ehlers is 29 years old and will turn 30 in mid-February; he has the luxury of time. Since being drafted ninth overall at the 2014 draft, he has progressed well and has been playing a significant role for the Winnipeg Jets. When he remains healthy, he produces well.

In 69 games this season, he has put up 63 points, which is a 75-point pace over an 82-game season. In 10 NHL seasons, he has only played 82 games three times and has never scored more than 64 points in a season. He would have done so this year had he stayed healthy. He had a powerful performance in the playoffs, putting up seven points in eight games, but that’s the exception, not the rule. He’s not the first player to perform well in a contract year.

Ehlers has talent, and he can be an impact player, but he’s not worth getting into a bidding war for. He won’t come cheap, and there will be plenty of suitors. While he is an attractive package of skills, I don’t think he’s one worth overspending on.

Photo credit: Terrence Lee-Imagn Images

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