Now that the Habs have missed out on Patrick Sharp, there are very few players available that could give them a legitimate and much needed boost in the goals for department.
The latest name that was suggested to me as a potential fix is left winger Jiri Tlusty.
Before he was traded to Winnipeg, Tlusty had a respectable offensive output of 13 goals and 10 assists in 53 games for the Hurricanes. Once he was in a Jets uniform his offense dried up, seeing as he only scored one goal in 20 games.
A quick glance at his usage gives us a good idea at why his offensive prowess seemingly disappeared. With the Hurricanes he played alongside Eric Staal and Jordan Staal, whereas he was playing on the fourth line in Winnipeg, most notably with Jim Slater and Lee Stempniak.
If the Habs were interested in his services, they’d be wise to use him in an offensive role, rather than what he saw with the Jets.
Tlusty, 27, has never really established himself as a legitimate top-six winger, but he’s above average in terms of third line players.
The one thing we can’t dispute is that Tlusty has no problem scoring goals, as well as having a positive impact on his linemates when it comes to goals for. The biggest knock against him is his defensive play.
He earned almost $3M last season, however it’s starting to become clear that he’s not exactly a hot commodity at the moment, even if there’s a lack of scoring wingers available, which indicates that he might accept a reasonable contract.
Is he a fit?
The Habs need goals, and they need depth on the wings. Tlusty can provide both, but he’s not an impact player. He’s a solid forward that could help most teams in terms of filling their ranks with quality depth, but I have a hard time believing he’d elevate the team to the status of contenders.
As it stands, the Habs need help with their top six, and adding Tlusty to the mix may just squash any chances that prospect like Charles Hudon has of making the team.
If it’s between Tlusty and another available player like Eric Fehr, there’s no doubt in my mind that Marc Bergevin should be targeting the former Capitals player.
Regardless, Bergevin will have to find a use for the remaining cap space, or his buyout of P.A. Parenteau might come back to haunt him. Of course, it’s only July 11th, which means there’s plenty of time to find scoring help before the regular season begins. Unfortunately, most of the best options are already off the board.
(If you enjoyed the rolling Corsi For% chart presented above, please consider following the creators on Twitter: Ryan Stimson& Spencer)
Jiri Tlusty, yay or nay?
| Yay | 66 |
| Sure. At this point why not? | 175 |
| No, give the prospects a chance to fill the role | 911 |
| No, not interested | 274 |
