The NHL’s about to get wild, with the draft kicking off Friday and free agency opening next Tuesday. But before we get excited about who might join the Montreal Canadiens, let’s talk about who’s heading out the door.
Three players could walk away as free agents next week: Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, and Michael Pezzetta. Dvorak’s probably heading back to the U.S., while Pezzetta barely saw any ice time this season.
The restricted free agent situation is pretty straightforward. The Habs have until 5 p.m. Monday to make qualifying offers to Emil Heineman, Jayden Struble, Jakub Dobes, and Cayden Primeau.
Primeau’s future looks especially uncertain. Will GM Kent Hughes trade him or just let him walk?
But that’s not all. Don’t be shocked if some bigger names get moved. Josh Anderson, Juraj Slafkovsky, or even Kirby Dach could be part of trade talks. Even rising star Arber Xhekaj isn’t completely safe.
Down in Laval, things are already changing. Brandon Gignac and Connor Hughes are heading to Europe. Alex Barre-Boulet might join them – his end-of-season comments in Laval definitely hinted at it.
Rafael Harvey-Pinard needs a new deal as a restricted free agent. The Canadiens probably won’t let this go to arbitration, but can they work something out?
Several other players need new contracts to stay with the organization:
– Sean Farrell
– Xavier Simoneau
– William Trudeau
– Noel Hoefenmayer
Gustav Lindstrom’s already made his choice, signing a five-year deal in Sweden.
With all these potential departures, you can bet there’ll be plenty of new faces coming in. Both the Canadiens and the Rocket desperately need to add some muscle and grit – something that was painfully obvious during their playoff runs.
The coaching staff might see some changes too. Will Trevor Letowski and Stephane Robidas stay on as Martin St. Louis’s assistants? What about goalie coach Éric Raymond?
And what’s happening in Laval? Pascal Vincent’s future as head coach is still up in the air.
One thing’s for sure – the next few days won’t be quiet. The only question is: just how much will change?