While there are plenty of players in Montreal who can breathe easy because they aren't waiver eligible this year, next season could be a whole different story.
The Ottawa Senators caught my attention over the last couple of days. It wasn’t because former Canadiens minority owner Michael Andlauer officially became the owner of the Senators. Instead, it was the club’s roster management which caused me to raise an eyebrow.
Within 48 hours, Lassi Thomson, Jacob Bernard-Docker and Egor Sokolov were placed on waivers. The three players were drafted by the Senators between 2018 and 2020. Thomson was claimed by the Anaheim Ducks, while the other two players cleared and were assigned to Ottawa's AHL affiliate in Belleville.
Losing an asset without a return is not ideal roster management; it's a situation general managers try to avoid as much as possible, and especially when it concerns players drafted by the organization.
Upcoming Decisions
The Canadiens risk exposing talented players on waivers before the start of the 2023-24 season. Up front, Jesse Ylonen could draw interest from the 31 other NHL teams if he’s exposed to waivers. The 24-year-old is on a two-way deal, earning $775,000 at the NHL level, and will be a restricted free agent on July 1st. Ylonen was drafted in the second round in 2018 and has totaled 21 points in 52 career NHL games.
A decision between the pipes could also be imminent, and the organization may need to expose Cayden Primeau if they decide to stick with two goalies on the opening night roster. Primeau, drafted in the seventh round in 2017, has struggled in the NHL with a 3-12-2 record, 4.11 goals against average and .871 save percentage in 21 contests.
Looking Ahead
Projecting one year ahead, the Canadiens have three young, quality defensemen for next season: Jordan Harris, Justin Barron, and Mattias Norlinder.
In addition, Montreal currently has Mike Matheson, David Savard, Kaiden Guhle and Johnathan Kovacevic under contract for next season.
That brings the total to seven defensemen and the names of Arber Xhekaj, David Reinbacher and Logan Mailloux have not been listed yet.
It’s evident that Kent Hughes has some extra assets on defence that he can use to fill another need or acquire additional draft picks.
One of the names that Hughes is likely looking to move is David Savard. The 32-year old’s contract carries a cap hit of $3.5 million and expires at the end of the 2024-25 season. A team needing to add a veteran, right-hand defenseman that can kill penalties might be a good fit to acquire Savard’s services later on this season.
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