Montreal
Notable UFA’s: Mathieu Perreault, Cédric Paquette, Tyler Pitlick, Laurent Dauphin, Chris Wideman.
Notable RFA’s: Rem Pitlick, Micheal Pezzetta, Alex Romanov, Kale Clague, William Lagesson, Sami Niku, Cayden Primeau, Sam Montembeault
Draft Picks: all of their own picks plus a conditional 1ST rounder from Calgary, a conditional 2ND Round pick from Edmonton, both Carolina and Anaheim’s 3RD picks, both New York R and Tampa Bay’s 4RD pick, and St.Louis 7RD pick for a total of possibly 14 picks this draft.
Why did they miss the playoffs
There was a lot of factors that went into the Canadiens missing in my opinion but the biggest factor was injuries. Captain Shea Weber and star goalie Carey Price who were key pieces in their run to the Stanley Cup Final last year, have both missed the entire season due to having multiple injuries and Weber’s injuries might end his career but not having two of their best players hurt the Canadiens this year. And those weren’t the only injuries as Defensemen Jeff Petry and Joel Edmundson, Goalie Jake Allen, and Forwards Christian Dvorak, Jonathan Drouin, Brendan Gallagher, Tyler Toffoli, and Joel Armia amongst others have all spent some part of the season being injured and playing hurt was a big reason why they have played bad this year. But on top of that a lot of Montreal veterans didn’t play well when they weren’t healthy and some have had their worst ever seasons. And the guys who were playing well like Lehkonen and Toffoli were traded at the deadline so they needed some great play from the veterans in the absence of Weber and Price and they didn’t get it. Only three players this year have had more then 30 points this year for Montreal and no player has hit 20 goals yet so they haven’t produced offensively and with their goalies being injured and their top defensemen too they are one of the worst defensive teams too and this may be a year to forget but even if they had a relatively healthy lineup most of the season I still don’t think they make the playoffs as they didn’t do enough in the offseason and had a crazy good run last year in the playoffs but I do believe they can get better next year, not sure about the playoffs but here is what they need to do in the offseason to get back to the playoffs.
How I think they can improve in the offseason.
#1) Sell off any veterans who they can get value for.
The Canadiens I would say start off their offseason by selling off veterans that they feel like they can do without and that bring them value. There was a lot of talk that the Canadiens were having discussions about moving a lot more veterans then they wound up moving before the deadline and I think they will wind up revising some of those discussions. Now I know that there were a ton of talks around Gallagher and Anderson in the forward group but those two players to me still have five years after this year at $6.5 and $5.5 Million respectively and with the Canadiens needing some veterans to stay I don’t think that either Gallagher or Anderson is moved in the offseason and remain with the team. But I think there are others that could be moved. First Jeff Petry as it sounds like he was nearly moved before the deadline and despite his $6.25 Million dollar cap hit for three years starting next year I do believe he is moved in the offseason, I could also see any one of Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak and Mike Hoffman be moved. Dvorak and Armia are both signed for the next three years at a cap hit of $4.5 and $3.4 million dollars respectively and are both in their later twenties so some teams should have interest I would say more in Dvorak given he is a top 6 Center and Armia is more of a middle 6 winger. And as for Hoffman he is also signed at a $4.5 Million dollar cap hit but he is only signed for two years and while he is definitely older then the other two I still think he would bring them a fine return as he can still play in the middle 6 and be productive. And while I wouldn’t completely rule out the Canadiens shipping out Price given the fact that if he is healthy a few people have said that maybe it’s time for him to be starter elsewhere I don’t think that will happen as he is signed for 4 years at a monster $10.5 million dollar cap hit so no matter how much he or the Canadiens want to move on unless Montreal retains a significant portion of that contract I don’t think he will move anywhere, but Backup Jake Allen I could see moving as his contract will the final year next year at a affordable $2.75 Million dollar cap hit and he would be a valuable backup to plenty teams. So anyone of these players could be traded but there is who I could see being moved.
#2) Figure out the Price situation, then work out your two goalies after that.
For their goaltending their is a couple of problems that need to be solved before next year begins. First is Price and his health status, now there have been reports that Price could be on the verge of his season debut and maybe he is trying to show other teams that he can still play and maybe up his trade value but as I said above with his contract and his absurd amount of money I highly doubt he gets moved. I think if he is almost healthy right now then he could play next year and I’d that is true then the Canadiens have their starting goalie because unless a team is willing to pay a possibly declining Price $10.5 million dollar cap hit for multiple seasons with a relatively flat cap then he ain’t moving in my opinion. Now Sam Montembeault has done better as of late but I think the Pending RFA is better off as a third stringer that comes up to the NHL in the event that there is a injury rather then being a lower ranked backup and I think that Cayden Primeau would benefit from 1 last year in the minors and maybe at that time he takes over for Price but for now I see him as AHL bound. And for their backup position (assuming Price is healthy) then I would move Allen given that his value is actually decent and he is on a affordable cap hit I think they could get a nice return and then sign a backup in free agency but I definitely see the backup position being a point of interest for Montreal.
#3) Let your young defensemen play bigger roles next year.
The Canadiens through signings and trades have accumulated a good number of great young players and I think they should get a shot next year at full time roles. They have grade A prospects Justin Barron, Jordan Harris and Kaiden Guhle as well as William Lagesson and Kale Clague who are both two old to be considered prospects but also more younger players. Now with Petry probably being traded the Canadiens would have a hole in their top 4 on the right side even after they extended pending RFA Romanov so Barron being the only natural right side defensemen of the bunch could play a full time role next year and I believe it would help the Canadiens. And as for the Left side they should have some competition as to who makes the team as I think that one of Guhle and Harris and one of Clague and Lagesson should have full time roles on the team next as they definitely need to get younger and I absolutely think that they will be a better team if they have some top young Defensive talent in their everyday NHL lineup.
#4) If they get 1st overall draft Shane Wright, if they don’t get 1st get Matthew Savoie or Logan Cooley.
Now they Canadiens are a decent team at Center and have Suzuki who is by far their best Center but I believe the Canadiens could use a complementary Center playing on the Second line behind Suzuki and I think that they can accomplish this in the draft. Now if they win the draft lottery and get the 1st overall pick then I think that most people will agree with me when I say they will draft Shane Wright. Wright is a good hockey player and two me seems NHL ready but more to a different point he has been compared by some people to Patrice Bergeron who is one of the best two way Centers in hockey and no offence to Dvorak but the Canadiens haven’t had a great year this season because they lost Philip Danault in free agency and he was a great two way forward so getting a young two way center to compliment Suzuki would be the best thing to do in my opinion. Now there is the possibility that they don’t win the draft lottery and get a lower pick and in that case I say the Canadiens should still draft a Center but with Wright most likely gone then they should draft Cooley or Savoie. Now Matthew Savoie and Logan Cooley are both projected to be top 6 forwards in the NHL just maybe not to the level that Wright could get to but I think while they wouldn’t be the best fit for Montreal they are both still great players who could compliment Suzuki in the top 6 for years to come but I fully believe that with their first 1st round pick they will draft a Center who can play in their top 6.
#5) signs some players to play wing in their top 9.
The Canadiens as I have said could be moving out a lot of their veteran forwards and I think they could use the newly found cap space to go after a player in the trade market or maybe even likelier in free agency. Now if they draft a top 6 center I believe they will be good at Center but if they move guys like Hoffman, Drouin, Dvorak, Armia and maybe even Anderson or Gallagher then they will need a o reconstruct their offense. Now I think they could use a top 6 winger or two and some top candidates I could see would be starting with the best two left wingers in the free agent class in Gaudreau and Forsberg. Now both players could play with Suzuki and Caufield on the top line and play where Toffoli used to but they would need to pay either a lot of money so a alternative could be trying to get a lower end guy who can play in their middle six like a Rust, Burakovsky or Marcment, sort of like a younger player who can help produce but whoever they wind up signing I think they would definitely benefit from getting a couple more top 9 forwards.
Philadelphia
Notable UFA’s: Nate Thompson, Nick Seeler, Keith Yandle, Kevin Connauton, Martin Jones
Notable RFA’s: Owen Tippett, Morgan Frost, Wade Allison, Zack MacEwen, Jackson Cates, Isaac Ratcliffe, Kirill Ustimenko
Draft Picks: PHI 1RD, PHI 3RD, PHI 4RD, PHI 5RD, PHI 6RD, PHI 7RD
Why did they miss the playoffs.
The Flyers similar to the Canadiens also had been plagued by injuries this year as it started with new defensemen Ryan Ellis. Ellis was supposed to bring stability to a revamped Philly D-Corp but wound up only playing 4 times this year and won’t be back this year do to the injury and given he had a point in all 4 games that was a huge loss for Philly but it doesn’t stop there. Defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen as well as forwards Sean Couturier, Kevin Hayes, Joel Farabee, Scott Laughton, Nate Thompson and Derick Brassard when he was in Philly all also missed good portions of this season with injuries and especially with all the injured forwards this was definitely a driving force for the Flyers poor season but it wasn’t the only thing. The injury to Ellis who would have certainly been their best defender hurt them defensively a lot as Provorov who would have been Ellis partner sort of looked lost, just like last season as he once again didn’t have a consistent top 4 partner and the play of the Sanheim Ristolainen pair didn’t do enough to take pressure off of Provorov so while their goaltending improved and Hart definitely had a bounce back season in my opinion, the goalies were hung out to dry quite often this year. And on top of that the major injuries to key forwards made it hard to score and due to that they are the 2nd lowest team in the NHL in scoring and only have one player (Cam Atkinson) who has scored over 20 goals so they should definitely try to find some more help for up front.
How I think they can improve in the offseason.
#1) Move Provorov or Sanheim and retool the defence (again)
After the Flyers extended Ristolainen their was a lot of talk about the Flyers moving one of their top left side defensemen and I think that they should do that. After the Ristolainen signing their top 4 defensemen each make more then $4.5 Million and that is to much money tied up in their top 4 so one of them should be moved. Now they just extended Ristolainen and Ellis was brought in to be their best defensemen so these two are staying but Provorov or Sanheim could be moved. Provorov hasn’t played like a top defensemen since the bubble due to not having a everyday partner and that has a lot of people wondering if he could be the one to go given that Samheim and Ristolainen made a good pair this year, but others see that Sanheim will enter the final year of his deal next year at a cap hit of $4.68 Million whereas Provorov is signed for 3 years so getting something for someone who would walk would be better and if Ellis stays healthy next year Provorov could have a full time partner next year so there is that too. I could see them moving either and it wouldn’t surprise me especially that Cam York who is a good young player getting playing time right now is a left side defensemen so moving one of those two so he could play on his right side would help. I believe they move Sanheim given his contract status and that Provorov at the top of his game is a better player but I wouldn’t be surprised if Provorov was moved and with the rest of their D-Men pending UFA’s they will need to sign or trade for some 3RD pair defensemen to round out the D-Corp this year.
#2) Move one or both of Konecny and Van Reimsdyk
It seems the most likely to me but they need to get rid of a couple forwards and I think these two are the most likely. Konecny has been one of the Flyers best forwards this year having 12 goals and 43 points in 66 games but has been in the rumour mill for about the last year and I feel Philly will move him in the offseason. He is a younger forward at only 25 years old, after this year will only have 3 years on his contract at $5.5 Million cap hit and has scored over 40 points in 4 of the last 5 years, so even though he is a young top 6 forward signed for multiple years is a consistent point producer and has played in their top 6 for multiple years I think the return they could get for him and the need to change their forward group will lead to his departure. And for James Van Reimsdyk it is a bit different. He is entering the final year of his contract next year with a cap hit of $7 Million dollars and is a older forward at age 32 years. And while he still a good middle 6 forward in my opinion he has definitely declined as this will most likely be the first time since the 15-16 season that Van Reimsdyk doesn’t hit 40 points. Now given he will be entering the last year of his contract I think Philly could retain some salary to make it work for the acquiring team and so they get a better return but I think that Van Reimsdyk will be moved before the end of the season for a decent package, so these two players will be moved in the Offseason in my opinion.
#3) Draft Simon Nemec or David Jiricek with their first round selection
The Flyers seem poised in my opinion to get a top 5 pick in July’s draft and I fully believe they will draft one of the top 2 defensemen available in this draft. Bearing them winning one of the top 2 picks in the draft where they could draft a forward if they get 3rd or worse I suspect them to draft a defensemen. Now Simon Nemec is the better of the two prospects and I believe he will be a top 5 pick and that is where Philly is right now but they could get higher inthe standings and if they have a lower pick then Nemec who I believe would be a great fit in Philadelphia might not be there when they are drafting so then draft the second best D prospect which is David Jiricek. Jiricek was earlier in the year the best D prospect but Nemec has past him and while I believe Nemec is a better fit in Philly I think Jiricek would still be great for the Flyers but I definitely believe one of these two defensemen will be drafted in July by Philly.
#4) Give the young forwards a bigger role and sign a couple prominent forwards
They are a bit older in the forward position and I think that after moving Konecny and Van Reimsdyk like I talked about earlier they will sign or trade for a couple great forwards and give their younger players more time. First if they were to move those two forwards I talked about they probably have two or three holes in their top 6. I would say give Tippet who they acquired in the Giroux trade get a chance in their top 6 probably on their second line and give Frost a full time 3rd line Center role after they sign both youngsters to new deals as they are pending RFA’s and will need raises this year and if their are other younger players like maybe a Wade Allison or a Tyson Forester who could be ready for NHL then I would give them bottom 6 minutes and at least try them in the lineup. As for their top 6 even with Tippett they could use another top 6 forward and I think they could go big game hunting. They could go after a winger and if they do that they have been linked to Gaudreau for the longest time and if Calgary doesn’t sign him I could see him go there, but I could also see them going after Filip Forsberg or Bryan Rust as those are two more really good wingers. But if they are looking for a top 6 Center then maybe Nazem Kadri or Vincent Trocheck would be a fit as those are two of the best centers available in free agency but whatever they decided I fully think they will get a top 6 forward somehow.
#5) Find a complimentary backup to Hart with Jones a pending UFA
And lastly I think that they need a suitable backup for Hart next year after Jones leaves. The Flyers have had a really bad year but one of the bright spots for Philadelphia this year and I believe most of you will agree was that there goaltending and especially Hart improved from last year. Hart has a career worse year last year and there was a lot of debate as to if he could be their long term starter and I think he has proven he can be a NHL starter or at least a 1A option but I have no doubt he will be starter next year for Philadelphia. The problem is finding a suitable backup for him due to the fact that Martin Jones who was backup this year and did a decent job in goal helping stabilize that position is a pending UFA, so either via free agency or in the trade Market I think that finding a suitable backup for Hart for next year will be one of their top priorities and unless they resign Jones expect them to look hard for a backup goalie and this all I believe will Philadelphia become a better team next year and maybe make the playoffs.
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