Marc Dumont
While most teams were busy adding high-priced players to their lineup, the Montreal Canadiens essentially stood pat at the opening of free agency, leading to a certain level of frustration from fans.
There’s logic to the ire, as they had to watch other teams improve, while their own team focused depth signings and internal dossiers, including the extension given to rookie Ivan Demidov.
But we also have to acknowledge that the Canadiens are no longer desperate to add talent to the lineup. They’d love to acquire a top-six player, but they’re not willing to ruin their salary structure by overspending in free agency.
It’s par for the course when we consider they’ve evolved considerably in the last few years. Simply put, the Canadiens are in the midst of one of the cleanest, most encouraging rebuilds in recent sports history, and patience is in order when discussing potential changes to the lineup.
Elliotte Friedman discussed Montreal’s situation in his latest edition of 32 Thoughts, dismissing any notion that Demidov will regret signing the $73.2M extension.
“I’d love to know how long Montreal had that one in the drawer for,” he said. “Someone told me, which was, “Boy, he’s going to really regret that.”
“My reaction was, think about where this kid comes from, and you throw $75M in front of him? I don’t think so. Know how hard it is to say no to that? I don’t think there will be any regrets at all.”
For the record, Demidov was born in Sergiyev Posad, Russia, about 80 kilometres from Moscow. He’s not exactly hailing from an impoverished location, but the point about offering a 20-year-old a significant contract extension still stands. It’s a lot of money, regardless of your birthplace.
Montreal Canadiens Trade Talk And Salary Cap
Friedman also made sure to compliment general manager Kent Hughes’ work to sign all his key players to team-friendly deals.
“I think Montreal is one team where you’re looking at their contract situation, and I remember, some of these contracts when they were signed, people [criticized them],” he explained. “That Hutson one last year, someday there’s going to be a chapter about that negotiation. I think the Canadiens basically held his arm down and forced him to sign that contract.”
Joking aside, Friedman was quick to point out the Canadiens are not done tweaking the lineup. They’d love to add the right players, at the right price, and they’re not afraid of calling teams about potential trade targets.
“You look at them, and their situation is excellent. Excellent. All you can do is give them credit. They get it done. It’s going to make them a very dangerous team for a long time.
“The one bit of frustration for the Canadiens, is they are still trying to sort out, can they find a younger top-six forward? And they would be aggressive, like really aggressive. I think Marchenko would potentially be one of those players, but right now, Columbus is saying they’re not doing that. I think they’ve made a lot of calls. I heard they called about people who aren’t even obvious, and asked if that player was available. When I hear they’d be aggressive going after another younger forward, they absolutely would. I don’t think we’ve heard the last of them. I think they’ve called around every team, looking at centres that may or may not be available, to see if they’d move the guy.”
The biggest name linked to the Montreal Canadiens in recent weeks has been Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko, and there was a report that the Habs had made a “massive offer” to entice the Blue Jackets, but Friedman threw some cold water on the notion that it was a potentially embarrassing offer by the Canadiens.
This aligns perfectly with the idea that Hughes has been quite aggressive in his search for talented players, but not to the point that they’re willing to liquidate the majority of their high-end trade assets.
