It was a rather busy Canada day for Marc Bergevin and the Montreal Canadiens. They went into the day with plenty of cap space to spare, so we knew ahead of time that they would be making some moves. In my honest opinion, they had a fantastic day.
You traded your best defenceman to help the power play? The power play was bad because it had bad structure. Kirk Muller was hired to fix that, you absolutely did not need to trade one of the best players on your team. This is a joke.
You should be fired. Better yet, you should resign. You are not fit for your position, that much is crystal clear.
I don’t need to give attribution for that quote, because I am the one who wrote it. Though I stand behind my assessment of the Subban trade as being a terrible one, I reacted harshly. I readily admit to being wrong, because Bergevin’s moves yesterday were very impressive to me.
I therefore must apologize to Mr. Bergevin. He made a bad deal, but I was a little overzealous. Anyway, let’s get down to the moves he made on free agency day.
Alexander Radulov: $5.75 million AAV for one year
This is an A+ signing for me. The marquee signing of the day for Montreal brings some much needed scoring to the top-six, and does so at less money than Radulov was reportedly looking for. Though he has been in the KHL for some time, he has been killing it there, and he was a major scoring threat during his NHL days. This is a fantastic signing.
Even if it doesn’t work out, Bergevin stuck to his guns and brought him in for just the one season. Very low-risk, and very high-reward. Radulov could light it up and earn himself another NHL deal afterwards, or he could falter and they let him go.
Based on the numbers he puts up, chances are he will be a major piece for the Canadiens this coming season. I love this deal, and I’m very impressed that Bergevin was able to pull it off.
Zach Redmond: $612,500 AAV for two years
This will very much be overshadowed by the Radulov deal, but it is a fantastic deal. Redmond put up very good numbers on a Colorado squad that struggled mightily, and he adds some quality depth to the Canadiens defence. Some wanted the Habs to go after Patrick Weircioch, but Redmond is actually a much better option.
He stands a very good chance of making the roster out of camp, and the competition between him, Mark Barberio, and Greg Pateryn will be a big thing to watch in the preseason. Even if he doesn’t make the team, the Canadiens defence is much deeper now, and that is very important.
I’m going to give this another A+ because it cost so little, and could be huge for the team.
Al Montoya: $950,000 AAV for one year
This one puzzled me a little at first, but then I had a conversation with my fellow EOTP editor Jared Book, and it makes a lot more sense. The Canadiens goaltending once Carey Price went down was quite bad, and getting a legitimate backup is a good move.
Again, this creates competition. Montoya will compete with Mike Condon and Charlie Lindgren for the rights to squire for Carey Price. This gives the Canadiens options, and we’ll have to wait and see who emerges as the best of the backups.
They could also trade a keeper and still have good depth at that position. This is a B+ signing for me.
Daniel Carr: $725,000 AAV for two years
I would like to marry this contract. Daniel Carr emerged as a legitimate NHL player last season, but his year was unfortunately derailed by a knee injury. When he came back, we saw a player who could easily be in the top-six this year. This is insanely good value.
He is one of the players to watch closely in camp. He plays a very Gallagher-esque game, and we all know what number 11 can do on the ice. Give him a full season with the big club, and all signs point to him being a major contributor. His next contract won’t be this cheap.
I know that his rights were property of the Canadiens anyway, but this is yet another A+ signing.
Mikhail Sergachev’s Entry Level Contract
Ok, this was going to happen anyway, but they didn’t waste time in getting their most exciting defensive prospect, arguably the most exciting prospect period, signed to an ELC. I don’t know if he can make the Canadiens next year, I think he faces a pretty uphill battle, but it should be fun to watch him try.
It was a given that this would happen, but guess what? I’m giving it an A+ nonetheless. Executive decision.
After the P.K. Subban trade, I didn’t think it was possible for the Canadiens to emerge from the off-season as a better team. I now feel that they may have actually done so. I still think that the trade will be something to regret for years to come, but the moves they made yesterday were great.
Overall, I’m giving the day a well-deserved A. Please have your say in the poll, and give us your thoughts in the comment section.
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Grade the Canadiens free agency day
| A+ | 270 |
| A | 560 |
| B+ | 298 |
| B | 166 |
| C | 77 |
| D | 23 |
| F | 72 |
