The Montreal Canadiens and general manager (GM) Kent Hughes are now into the dog days of summer, where very little news happens. That being said, the club is still in need of additional scoring, especially if it wants to take the next step and be competitive in a playoff race for 2024-25.
Related: Evolution of Canadiens Development Model
It’s no secret the Canadiens are in desperate need of offence. While there are a number of young players that Hughes has been rumoured to be in talks of acquiring via trade, there is a need to have a contingency plan in place. That contingency is the addition of a veteran forward who can add some scoring but also be willing to sign a short-term contract.
Canadiens Show Patience
Ideally, Hughes would make a trade for a younger player who either is a top-six forward or has the potential to become one. Someone like Rutger McGroarty, or Martin Necas.
“We didn’t go into today thinking we had to accomplish things we wanted to. I think what happens in free agency, and it’s natural, is if you go in overly committed to coming out with something, then sometimes you come out with something that you look back on and wish you didn’t. So, we wanted to enter the day with discipline and say, if we can do this under these parameters, we’ll do it. Otherwise, we’re fine to continue to wait and see if something materializes, either via free agency later or via trade first.”
– Kent Hughes
But there is no panic from the Canadiens front office to make a move.
Canadiens’ Shopping List
Having the patience to wait and find the right fit at the right price is the right move. But that doesn’t make it easy. Here are a few unrestricted free agent (UFA) forwards that could fill the role Hughes is looking for.
Max Pacioretty
Some are hoping to see Max Pacioretty return to Montreal as a UFA. This could be a way to find closure for Pacioretty and Habs fans. He was captain of the Canadiens in a period when the team was struggling, and a return as they are working their way out of a rebuild could be fitting.
Montreal has just over $10 million in cap space and 18 of 23 NHL roster spots filled, so there is room. Pacioretty is now 35 years old and has suffered some very serious injuries which have caused him to lose a step or two. Last season, the winger had just four goals and 23 points in 47 games, and his age, and the injuries all point to him likely being willing to take a one-year deal for a low cap hit. Some argue that having Pacioretty as a third-line winger could help improve the club this season. However, with Hughes looking for top-six help, he may not be a good fit as he would at best become a third-line winger that may end up taking the place of a youngster who needs to play.
Tyler Johnson
Tyler Johnson is a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021, and he is now one of the most notable names remaining on the free-agent market. However, that didn’t save him from becoming a cap dump by Tampa as Johnson was a salary cap casualty after the Lightning won their second Cup. Despite missing time due to injury, he still remained a solid offensive contributor when healthy, recording 17 goals and 14 assists in 67 games in 2023-24.
Because the Chicago Blackhawks went all-in on the rebuild, he was never able to play a leadership role for a team pushing for the playoffs.
“I think that’s kind of hard–I guess it just kind of depends on who I talk to and what happens, but I’d like to play some meaningful hockey and get back in the playoffs…I was talking with some of the guys the other day and just talking about playoffs just got me all ramped up. That’s where it’s all at and that’s where I’ve always loved.”
– Tyler Johnson
In Montreal’s case, they are entering a season in which they want to play meaningful games all season and push for the playoffs. The expectation isn’t to make it, but it would be a situation where the experience and offensive contributions from a Cup champion could help mentor and insulate the younger forwards. The 33-year-old is coming off a seven-year, $35 million contract, and going into the 2024-25 season, Johnson isn’t expected to be offered a long-term deal or one with a large cap hit, which could make him an ideal candidate for the Canadiens at this stage of the rebuild.
Daniel Sprong
The 27-year-old journeyman, Daniel Sprong, has emerged as a scoring specialist over the past two seasons between the Seattle Kraken and Detroit Red Wings. In those two years, he scored 39 goals and 89 points in 142 games played. That’s an average of 20 goals per season, and this was achieved while averaging less than 12 minutes of ice time per game.
Sprong is an excellent skater with deceptive mobility and good playmaking skills, which could make him a good candidate to play on the Canadiens’ power play (PP). He is strong on his skates and capable of winning one-on-one battles using positioning and not physicality, and also has issues with consistency and defensive structure. Sprong does have the offensive tools to help add secondary scoring, and do so with limited minutes. He also has the ability to play at a high pace, which makes him a good fit in head coach Martin St. Louis’ system.
The inconsistencies in his game are likely what has left him available over a week past the start of UFA season. This could make him ripe to be plucked off the UFA tree for a deal similar to the one he signed in Detroit, a one-year, $2 million deal. That term and cap hit would be an excellent stop-gap measure for Hughes as he waits for his prospect pool to mature into NHL players.
Whether it’s a trade or a UFA, Hughes needs to add some depth scoring to a lineup in desperate need of goals, and one that needs to be more than just competitive. If the free agency route is taken, then patience will be needed as well as an ability from Hughes to be frugal.
