Once upon a time, July 1st deserved to be billed the free agent frenzy with deals coming fast and furious at noon as pundits were struggling to keep up on the various live shows, but it won’t be like that this time around. On the eve of the NHL’s annual collective madness day, GMs made a final push to sign their existing talent, and most of them were successful.
Much like in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito came out on top. After inking the most sought-after center expected to hit the market, Sam Bennett, to an eight-year contract on June 29, Zito worked his magic again, putting pen to paper with franchise cornerstone Aaron Ekblad and trade deadline acquisition Brad Marchand.
Amazingly, Ekblad’s eight-year contract extension comes with an AAV of $6.1 million, less than the contract signed earlier in the day by Alexander Romanov with the New York Islanders. There’s absolutely no doubt that Ekblad left some money on the table. Still, as Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes explained after the draft, some players become addicted to winning and are open to taking a pay cut if it gives them a better chance to win. That’s precisely what happened with Bennet and Ekblad. They’ve won the Cup twice in a row in Florida, and they are loving it. Why would they entertain playing for more money on a team with which they won’t be as successful?
While Zito retained his core, Mitch Marner also opted not to hit the agent market, signing a new eight-year deal with a $12 M AAV with the Toronto Maple Leafs to facilitate a trade to the Vegas Golden Knights. Other big names like Patrick Kane, Ivan Provorov, and Evan Bouchard (who was a pending RFA) all elected to stay put.
The list of players set to hit the market has been decimated, and the top options according to Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin are now as follows: Nikolaj Ehlers, Vladislav Gavrikov, Brock Boeser, Mikael Granlund, Dimitry Orlov, Jonathan Drouin, Jake Allen, Pius Suter, Jack Roslovich, and Corey Perry. The fact that former Hab Drouin is now the sixth top option speaks volumes about what’s left on the market. All due respect to the left winger who has a lot of talent, he’s been successful in Colorado, but top players surrounded that.
Granlund and Suter, who I believe might have been of interest for the Canadiens who are seeking a second-line center, have just rocketed up that list and may well command unreasonable money as a result. With pickings that slim, a bidding war shouldn’t be excluded, and I don’t see Hughes getting involved in one of those. There are always GMs ready to overpay on free agency day. Still, given the slow and steady wins the race approach taken by Hughes and Jeff Gorton to this Canadiens’ rebuild, it wouldn’t make any sense for them to blow the bank before their team is truly ready to contend.
Another sign of how few options are left on the market was seeing TSN insider Pierre LeBrun posting that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Maple Leafs were among the teams interested in Michael Pezzetta when the market opens. Again, with all due respect to the gritty forward, he’s hardly the kind of name that gets any media attention in the run-up to free agency.
As much as the Canadiens need to bolster their top six, the lack of options on the market and the fact that so many teams are hoping to take a step forward this coming season might price Montreal right out of the market.
This doesn’t mean Hughes will stand idly by; he has demonstrated his ability to be very creative on the trading front in the past. With Noah Dobson’s acquisition, he may well be tempted to use Mike Matheson as bait on the trade market. The 31-year-old veteran could command an interesting return in the right package. He’s a proven puck-moving defenseman whose production suffered from losing his spot on the first power play unit last season because of Lane Hutson’s arrival and impact.
Of course, an offer sheet to a quality RFA remains an option, but given the rise in salary cap, you’ll need to overpay to pry a player away that way. 25-year-old pivot Gabe Vilardi has become a mainstay on the Winnipeg Jets’ top six and has put up 61 points in 71 games. Add to that the fact that he was part of the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade return, and I believe Kevin Cheveldayoff will make a point of retaining him. Vilardi is also 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds; he would help address the Canadiens’ size issue as well.
Mason McTavish would also be a great option, but the Anaheim Ducks have plenty of cap space and have no reason whatsoever to let him walk away. He’s just 22 years old and coming off his ELC contract. Last season, he posted 52 points in 76 games, and he has yet to reach his ceiling. It would be an absolute shocker if the Ducks were to let their first-round pick and third overall selection at the 2021 draft slip through their fingers.
Besides, as I’ve said already in the past, I don’t see Hughes as an offer sheet kind of guy, even though he could pull that move safely since Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov will both be ineligible to receive offer sheets in 2026 and 2027. To be eligible for an offer sheet, an RFA must have three professional seasons under their belt, and for a season to count, the player must have played at least 10 games. Hutson and Demidov both joined the Canadiens late in their first season, only playing two NHL games in their first year. Speaking of Hutson, he's now eligible to sign a contract extension and given that Hughes has a fair comparable in Dobson, it could speed up the matter. I wouldn't be surprised if Montreal announced an extension.
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
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