The 2018/19 NHL season is in the rear-view mirror with new Stanley Cup champions crowned at St. Louis Blues captured their first ever Stanley Cup. While they will celebrate through the summer, fans of teams will be debating and plotting the best course of action for their hockey club to take a step forward next season. Last season, the Montreal Canadiens came within a couple of points of the playoffs, turning in a very unexpected showing to claim 96 points.
It has been around seven years of very limited success for the Montreal Canadiens while the front office has pleaded for the fan base to be patient. After last season, fans are excited that their patience is finally about to pay off, but it will all come down to the moves made by general manager Marc Bergevin. With a packed free agency and a lot of depth in the NHL Entry Draft, the Habs could find the pieces needed to bring success back to Centre Bell if they play their cards right.
A big free agency
Arguably the biggest name in this year’s free agency is goaltender Sergei Bobrovksy, but luckily the Habs will be able to stay out of that dogfight as Carey Price has just turned in an excellent 64-start campaign and Charlie Lindgren is looking like a good prospect to have as his back-up. So, Montreal can focus on filling the pressing needs which haven’t been addressed for several years.
Top of the needs list is a top-six center. The Habs have struggled up the middle for years, and while they did draft the top center talent last year with Jesperi Kotkaniemi, more experienced help would go a long way. Montreal has a healthy $11.7 million in cap space with very minor in-team contractual situations to address, meaning that they can pursue almost anyone on the market.
Top of the pile as far as centers go is Matt Duchene, who recently came off of a Lightning-toppling offseason with the Columbus Blue Jackets. After Duchene, the Habs would want to look at the likes of Kevin Hayes – although, the Flyers have traded to have first talks with the center – and perhaps Marcus Johansson.
Even though the hope is that Shea Weber will be back and fully fit for the entirety of next season, the defense is still lacking in quality. But with Erik Karlsson, Tyler Myers, Anton Stralman, Jake Gardiner, Ron Hainsey, and Dan Girardi set to be free agents, there are plenty of opportunities to bolster at the blueline.
Competition in the Atlantic Division is going to be fierce next season, with the Lightning, Bruins, and Maple Leafs contending for the divisional crown as well as the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers looking to be on the cusp of contending in the playoffs. So, the Habs will likely be at long NHL betting odds to find success next season, but acquiring a couple of top free agents in key areas would certainly enhance their chances a great deal.
A deep and exciting draft
Sitting at 15th overall, the Montreal Canadiens will most likely miss out on all of the projected elite-level talents of the draft, but still have a strong chance of getting a future top-six or top-four skater. The player that most outlets have pegged as a pick for the Habs is 6’4’’, 191lbs beast Raphael Lavoie. Halifax Moosehead’s center is a natural goalscorer and immense presence on the QMJHL ice. But of course, projections and mock drafts tend to go askew when it comes to the NHL Entry Draft, so there’s little telling how the Habs will pick on June 21 and 22.
With a strong young team, perhaps a prospect or two making a claim for a place in the NHL lines, a decent position in a deep draft, and plenty of opportunities in the free agency, this should be a great offseason of progress for the Montreal Canadiens. It’ll be a tight battle for Eastern Conference playoff places next season, but the Habs have the resources right now to make themselves leading wild card contenders.