Free agency season is now upon us. On Tuesday, the NHL GMs will be free to hunt for the biggest names on the market, and with the salary cap going up significantly for the first time in years, one can expect to see some silly offers out there.
In an ideal world, the Montreal Canadiens would probably have liked to sign a veteran center with top-six pedigree as a stopgap solution while their prospects at center gain more experience and mature. Ideally, Michael Hage would be allowed to start his professional career in the AHL with the Laval Rocket when his NCAA career is over. Unfortunately for the Habs, however, veteran centers have been re-signing with their teams left, right, and center.
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The Dallas Stars were able to extend Matt Duchene, the Toronto Maple Leafs secured John Tavares with a hometown discount, and the Ottawa Senators did the same with Claude Giroux. Jonathan Toews chose to go home and sign with the Winnipeg Jets, and hot commodity Sam Bennet also decided to stay with the two-time champs, the Florida Panthers.
33-year-old Mikael Granlund, out of Dallas, could be an option. He put up 66 points in 83 games (the San Jose Sharks traded him during the season, which resulted in him playing an extra game this year). He’s coming off a 4-year pact with a $5M cap hit and will likely be looking for a raise, given the cap is going up.
Another center worth looking at is Pius Suter from Vancouver. The 29-year-old left-shot center is coming off a two-year contract, which had a very reasonable $1.6M cap hit. In his final season, he achieved career-high numbers with 46 points in 81 games, and he also contributed to the team on special teams. The Leafs are also rumoured to be interested, however.
Of course, Hughes could also go after an impact top-six player in the form of a winger; Brock Boeser, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Mitch Marner are the most prominent names out there, but they are likely to command huge contracts. Hughes doesn’t seem like the type to join in the collective hysteria of the free agency market and throw a massive contract to a player who won’t get the Canadiens to the promised land just yet.
If Hughes manages to find a reasonable option out there, he will pounce, but don’t expect him to make an unreasonable decision that could hurt his salary structure in the future. The Canadiens’ GM has got his wits about him, and he’s not about to lose them.
Photo credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
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