Marc Bergevin has announced the Canadiens have acquired Mike Weaver from the Panthers in exchange for a 5th round pick in the 2015 NHL draft. This is the same deal that brought the freshly waived Davis Drewiske to Montreal last year.
A quick look at his analytics show that he actually has decent possession numbers, however it’s likely he’s being carried by Kulikov. His contract ($1.1M per year) will expire this summer, and he’ll probably slot into the bottom pair. He’s a gritty d-man despite his 5’9″ stature. His strength lies in defensive zone starts and smart positioning. He’s a RHD, which Montreal desperately needs, and he comes cheap. At first glance this isn’t a bad trade by any means.
The question remains is who will the 35 year old UFA replace? The always struggling Douglas Murray? Or the young Jarred Tinordi?
This trade leaves me to believe that Nathan Beaulieu’s strong showing with the Habs pre-Olympics was all for naught, as he’ll likely stay in Hamilton for the rest of the year due to the plethora of bottom pairing d-men clogging the Habs defensive pipeline.
