The Montreal Canadiens desperately need reinforcements, and they may look to the NHL’s Waiver Wire for a short-term fix.
Following the injuries to centres Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook, the Habs are left with little to no depth down the middle of the ice, further compounding a situation that was already less than ideal.
With that in mind, the Boston Bruins have placed centre John Beecher on waivers, which may lead to some interest from the Canadiens due to their decimated lineup.
Beecher, 24, has scored one goal in six games this season, and you’d be hard-pressed to argue his underlying numbers, which are quite poor, should lead to a potential waiver claim.
However, he’s left-handed, an area of weakness for the Canadiens, and he represents a warm body at a time when the centre options in Montreal are quite limited.
Beyond Nick Suzuki, the Canadiens can currently turn to Jake Evans as the only other established centre in the lineup, leaving the team with very few options at 5v5, not to mention among their special teams. Beecher averaged over a minute of penalty kill ice time with the Bruins this season, connoting that he could fill a need for the Habs, especially since he has a 53.1% success rate at the faceoff dot throughout his short NHL career.
It’s far from a perfect solution, but as we all know, beggars cannot be choosers.
Beecher is signed to a one-year deal, which carries a very reasonable cap hit of just $900,000.
Montreal Canadiens Waiver Wire Situation
Even if the Habs do choose to put in a claim for Beecher, there are no guarantees they’ll land the young centre.
As of November 1, the waiver-wire priority list has been based on the current NHL standings.
The priority list is reverse ordered, which means the Calgary Flames will be first in line when it comes to waiver claims, while the Habs, who are 14th in the NHL standings, would have to hope the 18 teams ahead of them on the waiver-wire priority list would not submit a claim for Beecher.
