The Montreal Canadiens are guaranteed to lose a player today, but the question on everyone’s minds is what kind of side deal, if any, did general manager Marc Bergevin make with George McPhee of the Vegas Knights?
Are the Canadiens sweetening the deal by offering more to steer McPhee to pick a specific player or did Bergevin make all of his moves before his list was submitted and is content to wait it out?
Of the Canadiens that were left exposed, there are four players that are thought to be the most likely to be taken by the Knights. In alphabetical order:
- Brandon Davidson
- Alexei Emelin
- Charles Hudon
- Tomas Plekanec
The prevalent thought has been that if the Golden Knights are looking to field a competitive team, then Plekanec is their guy. While his offensive numbers have nosedived over the last two seasons, he is still considered a good defensive center in the NHL. He would have the ability to help keep Vegas in games just by being able to check the opposition’s top lines, providing his usual stalwart defensive prowess. With one year left on his contract, McPhee could further benefit by trading Plekanec at the deadline if there are any interested parties, thus further turning his pick into an asset.
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Many Habs fans think that Charles Hudon will be nabbed at the expansion draft. He is the Canadiens’ most NHL ready prospect, and their most offensively skilled one at that. However, Bergevin made sure to re-sign Hudon before he became a restricted free agent on July 1st, giving him a two year deal with a one way contract in the second year.
While Hudon has done well in his limited time in the NHL with four assists in six games, he is still unproved. Should the Golden Knights select him but he does not make the roster out of training camp, Hudon must be exposed on waivers. This makes Hudon a risky pick for McPhee, and there’s a strong possibility that we will see the skilled forward compete for a spot with the Canadiens come September.
NHL insider Pierre LeBrun told TSN690 that he believes Vegas will select Davidson or Emelin and that Bergevin has not made any side deals with McPhee.
Considering all of the side deals to protect defensemen that are, shall we say, more desirable, Las Vegas will still need to select someone to play on their blue line. Davidson certainly has the greater potential between himself and Emelin. He is in the mold of a more modern puck moving defenseman, whereas Emelin is the stay at home rearguard with such strength that he has the ability to rock his opponent’s bones to the core when he connects on a big hit. Both players have just one year remaining on their contract and will then become unrestricted free agents.
Considering that McPhee is all about building towards the future and collecting as many assets as possible, I believe that there is a strong chance that Emelin has been selected by the Golden Knights. Despite Emelin’s modified no trade clause, the likelihood is that McPhee would be able to trade him to a contender at the deadline for at least a draft pick of sorts. While Davidson certainly has more potential than Emelin, it should be noted that the Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant was a former assistant coach with the Canadiens and has experience with Emelin. Do not be surprised if that history factors in with how McPhee decided who to select from the Canadiens.
Regardless of which player will no longer be a Canadiens as of Wednesday evening, chances are Las Vegas will be a short term destination for that player.
