Top UFA Forwards To Target For The Montreal Canadiens

With the NHL Entry Draft about on week away and free agency looming, let's have a look at some potential free agent targets for the Montreal Canadiens. With trade-deadline acquisition Thomas Vanek slated to test the market on July 1st, the Canadiens could really use help on their top-six up front. While the team has a plethora of bottom-six forwards in the likes of Travis Moen, Brandon Prust, Michael Bournival, Rene Bourque, Daniel Briere, Dale Weise as well as impending RFAs Lars Eller and Ryan White who are more than likely to come back, Montreal could use another winger to play on the team's second line with Alex Galchenyuk and Tomas Plekanec.

So, unless Habs GM Marc Bergevin moves a center like Plekanec and David Desharnais, the Canadiens are more than likely to add a talented winger via free agency.

Potential free agents targets:

Jussi Jokinen, 31, Pittsburgh Penguins. After being acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes at the trade deadline last season, Jokinen had his second best offensive season during which he recorded 21 goals and 36 assists for 57 points in 81 games to go along with 18 PIM and a good +12 rating, Playing mostly with Evgeni Malkin and James Neal on the Penguins' second line, Jokinen can play all three forward positions and he is sound defensively. Jokinen, who made $3 million/year for the last three years, will certainly be looking for a pay raise of at least $4M annually on the open market and there will be plenty of suitors for his services. With seven seasons of at least 40 points during his underrated career, Jokinen makes for a solid second-line player who can move up and down the line-up with ease.

(Salary in 2013-14: $3,000,000)

Radim Vrbata, 33, Phoenix Coyotes. Playing in the middle of the desert where hockey is an afterthought certainly did not help Vrbata make a name for himself in the NHL. This season, the right winger scored 20 goals and 31 assists for 51 points in 80 games to go along with 22 PIM and a disappointing -6 rating. Vrbata Vrbata, who scored 20+ goals four times during his career, has had problems producing out of Phoenix where he played for the last five campaigns. Vrbata who was left off the Czech roster for the 2014 Sochi Olympics is very familiar with Tomas Plekanec, which could be a good fit. Expect the 33-year-old forward to command a similar salary and if the Coyotes can't afford his services, he is more than likely to get it somewhere else, and that might very be well in Montreal.

(Salary in 2013-14: $3,000,000)

Matt Moulson, 30, Minnesota Wild. Traded twice this season, Moulson finished the year with the Wild, after playing for both the New York Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres. Overall, Moulson quietly enjoyed a solid campaign despite playing for some lowly teams, recording 23 goals and 28 assists for 51 points in 75 games to go with 34 PIM and a +2 plus/minus differential. While the 6'1'', 205-lb left winger is not overly physical, his size would be welcomed on the Habs. The problem with Moulson is whether he can produce offensively without his close friend John Tavares... Moulson was a healthy scratch with Minnesota during the playoffs because of his lacklustre play.

(Salary in 2013-14: $3,900,000)

Milan Michalek, 29, Ottawa Senators. After a disappointing season with the Ottawa Senators, Michalek needs a change and, as a result, he is slated to hit free agency on July 1st. After potting 60 points with the Senators in 2011-12, his offensive production has declined. In 82 games with Ottawa this season, the Czech winger notched 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points with a putrid -25 rating. The smooth skating Michalek has five 20+ goal seasons under his belt and he is eager to turn the page and move on. Michalek trains in Montreal during the summer and his wife Karen is from the area. Familiar with the media pressure, Michalek would be a good fit in Michael Therrien's as he is an adept penalty killer and boasts a great wrist shot.

(Salary in 2013-14: $6,000,000)

Ryan Callahan, 29, Tampa Bay Lightning. Acquired from the New York Rangers in exchange for veteran Martin St. Louis, the gritty Callahan scored 17 goals and added 19 assists for only 36 points and a +1 differential in 65 games between Tampa Bay and New York. A great leader and two-way player, Callahan has only recorded one 50-point season throughout his career and he is not known for his offensive attributes. More of a checker than a scorer, Callahan might very well be the next David Clarkson on this year's free agent market. A team will overpay for his services and I sincerely hope it won't be the Canadiens.

(Salary in 2013-14: $4,825,000)

Alex Hemsky, 30, Ottawa Senators. Maybe the most talented player listed here, but also the most inconsistent, Hemsky can fly on the ice and he possesses electrifying skills. A typical Band-Aid boy, Hemsky usually misses his fair share of games every year. Last season, between Edmonton and Ottawa, the right winger 13 goals and 30 assists for 43 points with a -15 plus/minus rating in 75 games. Hemsky has not hit the 50-point plateau since the 2008-09 season when he potted 66 points in 72 games for the Oilers. The Habs need size and grit on the wing, not one of the softest players in the entire NHL. Pass.

(Salary in 2013-14: $5,500,000)

Other players such as Paul Stastny and Jarome Iginla could also become UFA targets, but they are more than likely staying with their respective teams.

Who would be your choice to replace Thomas Vanek's offensive production?

No Foolin' Fred Poulin

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Pregame Preview: Canadiens at Lightning (Game #77)

 
Match Up:

The Canadiens (43-26-7) are in Tampa Bay to face the Lightning (41-25-9) Tuesday night in what might be their most important match before the post-season. The game starts at 7:30 and airs on RDS and TSN-Habs.

This is the fourth and final regular season game between the Habs and Bolts, although the two teams are primed to meet in the first round of the playoffs. The three previous meetings have all gone to overtime with the teams deadlocked 1-1 at the end of 60 minutes each time. The Lightning have taken 2 of 3 wins so far, Nate Thompson scored both Tampa goals including the OT winner the last time these teams met.

What to Watch:

Since they've been united, David Desharnais, Max Pacioretty and Thomas Vanek have been on fire. The trio has combined for 13 goals and 27 points in their last 7 games. Vanek leads the way with 6 goals and 10 points over that span.

Ryan Callahan has 9 points in 13 games since joining the Lightning at the deadline. His 3-game point streak was snapped in Detroit on Sunday, but he had 3 goals and an assist leading up to that. Steven Stamkos has played 13 games since returning from injury, and while it took him until his fourth game back to find the back of the net, he's picked up 9 goals and 13 points in his last 10.

What's at Stake:

The Canadiens and Lightning are separated by just two points in the standing and the Bolts can make up the difference with their game in hand. Tuesday's game won't guarantee the winner a second place finish in the Atlantic division, but it will definitely give that team a big boost heading into the final stretch. On top of that, a Habs win would clinch a playoff berth an extend their season best win streak to 6 games.

Who's Out:

Tomas Plekanec returns to action Tuesday night after missing Saturday's game for personal reasons. Alexei Emelin also returned to Montreal briefly but is expected to play against the Lightning. Dale Weise (wrist), Travis Moen (concussion), Brandon Prust (upper boday) and Josh Gorges (hand) are still out for the Canadiens.

The Lightning are healthy heading into Tuesday's game.

What Else:

Even though these teams have faced off 3 times already this season, the Canadiens will be taking on a much different Lightning team than they've seen so far. Steven Stamkos will be on the ice for the first time to face the Habs this year, and Ryan Callahan will battle the Canadiens for the first time in a Lightning uniform.

Of course, the Bolts will be without Martin St. Louis, who was traded for Callahan at the deadline. St. Louis had 40 points against the Canadiens in 49 games, Stamkos has 8 goals and 14 points in 19 games versus the Habs while Callahan has 7 goals and 11 points in 23 games.

The Question Mark:

We want to hear from you, what's been the best and worst surprises of this season for the Habs?

Let us know what you think, leave us a comment or send us a tweet with the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.

Be sure to tune into the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show an hour before the puck drop and the Post Game Show 5 minutes after the final siren. Join the live conversation by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.

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Monday Musings: The Mighty Brendan Gallagher

Greetings Habs Addicts,

Photo Credit: CBC.ca

Well it certainly was a tail of two teams this week in Montreal. The week started off with Carey Price posting his third shutout of the season, a 36-save effort in a 3-0 win over Carolina. This was followed up with the surprising decision to start Peter Budaj this past Thursday in Boston. This was a curious decision by Michel Therrien, as the Habs had back-to-back games coming up over the weekend. However, it proved to be the right choice as Budaj stopped 34 of 35 shots that came his way and upped his career record to 4-0 vs the Bruins in a 4-1 win. Then things took a turn for the worse, as the sticks went cold again over Superbowl weekend. Tampa Bay came to town for the annual Saturday matinee and the teams battled to another 2-1 score, this time an overtime win for Tampa. Ben Bishop continued his Vezina-caliber play and Price was solid, facing 36 shots on goal for the second straight start. Superbowl Sunday's matinee was an all-Canadian affair as the Winnipeg Jets came to town. Al Montoya continued his surprisingly solid season in goal; arguably, the former first-round draft pick should be starting, as he has considerably outplayed the incumbent Ondrej Pavelec this season when given the opportunity. Montoya shined stopping 30 shots in a 2-1 Jets victory. This week the power-play struggled mightily, scoring only 1 goal in 13 chances. The penalty kill was a perfect 12-12 this week, and 20-20 dating back to the Washington game.

Onto my musings of the week that was.

- Brendan Gallagher had a solid week this week, tallying 1 goal to go along with 3 assists. As always, he played his usual physical game and took a pounding around the goal crease. The spark-plug has had another solid season for Montreal, even if his scoring pace is slightly off from last year. Against Winnipeg on Sunday, Gallagher was physical but also ended up in the penalty box three times. First, he was called for roughing - a coincidental minor with Mark Stuart - which is simply a by-product of him playing his style of game. He was also called for holding and tripping, the later of which negated a Montreal power-play late in the third period. These two penalties hurt the Habs more on the ice than on the scoreboard. What most fans were up in arms about on Sunday occurred in the final minute of the game with the Montreal net empty, the Habs could not enter the Winnipeg zone for roughly 20 seconds as Gallagher was punched, held, tripped and hit by Jets goalie Montoya and defensemen Zach Bogosian and Jacob Trouba. Not a single penalty was called at this time.

"There could have been five penalties there. We're definitely going to ask the league for explanations. It's very frustrating. It could have given us the chance to tie the game." - Canadiens coach Michel Therrien

After the game was over, Josh Gorges spoke on Gallagher's behalf. Gorges wisely did not allow the fired-up Gallagher to speak to the media. Knowing our chatty super-smurf has a fiery personality, us fans would have loved to hear that sound-bite, but Gallagher's wallet most likely would not have. Kudos to Gorges for saving his tenant some of his rent money. Here's a snippet of what Gorges had to say after the game:

"I have to be careful with what I say... It was pretty evident they were not allowing him to get out of the zone. He took a punch to the head from the goalie, got tripped up from the defenseman, and the guy coming off the bench gave him another shot... I can't comment on how (the referees) feel toward any one individual player. I don't know if there's a grudge or something. It's too bad... It wasn't the difference, but it was a frustrating way to end the game" - Canadiens defenseman Josh Gorges

Whether justified or not, Brendan Gallagher has been taking a beating for his style of play. His feisty, relentless style has irked opponents and he's often found in front of the goalie, taking punches, cross checks and slashes as he does his best to screen, deflect shots or bang home rebounds. He's been an asset on the power-play, with 7 of his 14 goals coming with the man advantage but there is only so much abuse his 5'9", 178 pound frame can take. Its also becoming evident that the referees are not giving him the calls that similar plays would garner on other players, justly or not. The non-calls at the end of the this game seemed to be the boiling point on what has been a simmering issue all season long. Gallagher is not a dirty player. He may have some Brad Marchand-like qualities, but he's definitely not Marchand. This was a terrible job of officiating.

- P.J. Stock - who most Habs fans on Twitter feel might be the worst analyst in hockey - had some praise and positive comments about Brendan Gallagher post-game. Stock took issue with the Jets treatment of Gallagher and praised his relentlessness. While he agreed that taking three penalties is bad, especially when one negated a power-play, he also agreed that Gallagher should not change his game. Nor should Michel Therrien try to change his game - maybe just tweak it slightly to keep him out of the penalty box. Most importantly, Stock questioned why the smallest player on the team is the only one going hard to the front of the net, fighting the crease battles and taking the abuse while bigger, stronger wingers - Rene Bourque & Max Pacioretty were called out, but Lars Eller should have been mentioned too - prefer to spend their game out on the perimeter. Stock went on to say that the coaches should show video of Gallagher's play to these two players. Its not too often that I agree with P.J. Stock, but I whole-heartedly agree with everything he had to say about Gallagher post-game. The Canadiens would be better served having Pacioretty and Bourque playing a game better suited to their skills. They are bigger, stronger players and should be getting to the front of the net or the slot with more regularity. When you rank next to last in even-strength scoring, you need to change what you're doing. This is a change that needs to be made. If you're not scoring the pretty goals, you better make a serious effort to get the garbage goals. Wake up, boys, and start using your size to your advantage.

- Douglas Murray was paired up with Nathan Beaulieu this week. While I will continue to remind everyone here and on Twitter that Douglas Murray has no business being in the NHL, Nathan Beaulieu would be better served never seeing the Hamilton ice ever again. He has not looked out of place and has been moving the puck up ice with confidence. While he will make the odd defensive lapses - as all rookies do - he has also been playing his off-wing since he's been recalled. While he has admitted that its new to him, he has not had an issue making the transformation. But here's my question: Why do you have a rookie defender playing his off-wing for the first time in the NHL? If you knew you wanted him playing the right side, why did you not have him playing on that side in Hamilton? It's time to eliminate Douglas Murray from the line-up and pair Beaulieu with the right-handed shooting Raphael Diaz. Diaz has not been great, but he has not been terrible for Montreal this year, but allowing Beaulieu to shift to his natural side and be paired up with another capable puck-mover should again aid the Canadiens in the offensive zone. The rookie should be here to stay. Next up: Jarred Tinordi.

- Last week we saw rumour of P.A. Parenteau being dealt from Colorado to Montreal in exchange for Rene Bourque. While it seems there were other pieces involved that led the breakdown of this deal, Parenteau is two years younger than Bourque, but does carry a slightly larger cap hit. There has been no confirmation one way or another from Marc Bergevin's office, so this remains a rumour only. It is worth noting that Parenteau has been a healthy scratch recently in Colorado. Also on the trade front, Ryan Callahan's agent has been given permission by the New York Rangers captain to seek a trade. While I do like his playing style, his contract demands this off-season may be too steep. But he's a Marc Bergevin type - a physical winger with leadership skills. Our very own Mike Gowing (@habsosaurus) wrote an analysis of Ryan Callahan when reports of his availability surfaced.

We're getting close to the Sochi Olympic break. With three games remaining before the break, the Habs look to finish strong. On the schedule this week we have two home games against Western Canadian teams: the Calgary Flames on Tuesday and the Vancouver Canucks visit on Thursday. The Habs enter the break with a road rematch with the Carolina Hurricanes. If the Habs can parlay the strong defensive effort they showed this past week, they could potentially go 3-0 and sweep the week. Of course, when you're relying on your goalies to stop an average of 35.5 shots per game like they did this past week, they can easily go 0-3 and give up 12+ goals against. With this years Montreal Canadiens, either one can happen.

Three Questions from my Musings:

A) Should leading goal-scorer Max Pacioretty start to use his size and play more of a Brendan Gallagher style of play in front of the net or continue to snipe from the perimeter/high slot?

B) Should Nathan Beaulieu be returned to his natural (left) side or continue to play the (right) off-wing side of his defensive pairing?

C) Should the Habs pursue Ryan Callahan or P.A. Parenteau?

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Should The Montreal Canadiens Go After Ryan Callahan?

Callahan is an impending UFA.

It is been said that Ryan Callahan is available, or rather, that New York Rangers GM Glen Sather is entertaining the idea of trading him if he feels they are not close to reaching an agreement in their contract negotiations. Sather would rather get something for him now, than lose him and get no significant return. Makes sense.

It is rumoured that Callahan is looking for a long-term deal in the 6-7 year range and an average annual salary of around 6 million dollars.

Here are the implications, both negative and positive of the Canadiens making a move to acquire the services of New York Rangers' Captain Ryan Callahan via trade or signing him in the summer.

The good

1) Callahan would fit nicely on the right wing in lieu of Brian Gionta over the next few seasons.

2) Ryan Callahan is a stereotypical Marc Bergevin type player. Gritty, hard nosed, plays with a lot of heart, not afraid to block shots or to stick up for his teammates and be a leader. The “C” is for CHARACTER!

3) Callahan is a former teammate of Brandon Prust. When they last united their efforts, their team went deep into the playoffs.

4) On a line with Thomas Plekanec they would form one of the hardest duos to play against in the NHL. #plekanecforselke

5) The salary cap is supposed to go up considerably in the next few years.

6) His acquisition would undoubtedly make the Habs better right now.

The bad

1) Callahan's production has diminished quite a bit recently, he has had 51 points in his last 83 games. Not bad but not worth over 6 million a year for 6 years.

2) His size (5'10”) combined with his style of play have led to numerous injuries in his case.

3) His salary demands are quite hefty for a 28-year-old forward who has never achieved more than 55 points at the professional level. Yes, that includes the AHL.

4) Trading for Callahan would cost the Habs at the very minimum a high pick and a prospect. All that and you're not even guaranteed to retain his services after this season. And they could still miss the playoffs! That's a worst case scenario, and a grim one indeed!

5) A long-term contract for a player of that calibre would tie up money that would go towards Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Gallagher, and any other Habs player who should get a raise over the next few seasons. It would also hinder the ability to sign other bigger name free agents or even trade for a high-impact player. Of course, this all depends on how much the cap goes up over the next few years.

6) He could become the Habs' version of David "water bottle" Clarkson .An overpaid, under-producing winger who has leadership qualities. (For those of you who don't know about the water bottle incident with Todd Bertuzzi, I strongly encourage you to Google it.)

Impressions & Possibilities

I think Callahan is a solid hockey player who leaves it all on the ice and would be useful in Montreal.

We are also desperate for a good right winger. That being said, Marc Bergevin has quite a few things to figure out before he can chase down a player whom, if acquired via trade, would probably have to be signed to a new, hefty, long-term contract. As we know, Callahan for the Canadiens, would be a longer term solution and not a rental player. That, in all likely hood, would mean making him one of the top-three most paid players in Habs history. If you're thinking: “That doesn't seem right.” It doesn't, it would be outrageous!

Bergevin has his work cut out for him. He still needs to sign P.K. Subban, sign or trade Andrei Markov, Lars Eller and Raphael Diaz. Try and get Rene Bourque to produce or send him away to anywhere for anything. (At this point I would trade Bourque for a sack of potatoes from Aaron Downey's family farm.) He is pretty useless out there. I am excited to see Christian Thomas, hopefully, take his spot in the line-up.

Bottom line is: Bergevin needs to paint a clearer picture of the future of the Canadiens before he goes chasing players, paying them handsomely and sacrificing youth. After those issues are addressed and Bergevin knows what kind of cap space he will have this summer, he will be able to sign guys like Callahan, Moulson, Orpik or Nikitin. But I don't see a trade happening right now, even if Callahan is a Bergevin type player.

Thanks for reading.

-Mike Gowing

Folllow me on twitter @habsosaurus

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Habs/Rangers Post Game Saturday Nov. 17th

The Habs were shut-out by the Rangers 1-0 who visited the Bell Center Saturday night.

The Canadiens who are currently 4-4-2 in their last ten games were coming off a victory in a shoot-out against the struggling Blue Jackets but looked lost against a rising New York team.

With Price in nets, the Habs were unable to get anything by backup goaltender Cam Talbot. Talbot has only appeared in a hand-full of games this season but has put up good numbers in those efforts, after the game Saturday night he is posting a 1.58 GAA and a .943%. The Canadiens shot 22 pucks in his direction but still weren't able to get any scoring done in front of the home crowd.

What is worrisome about the inability for the Canadiens to score is that in consecutive games they have played against the oppositions backup. There should have been extra incentive to get those pucks on net and test these goalies who are not regularly between the pipes. The Rangers blocked 21 shots to help their goaltender's work load.

While there was a lot of reaction from the media and the public with regards to the David Desharnais shoot-out winner against the Jackets. It appeared to only gave him a boost in the first period, the following two periods were filled with more of the same from the center-man who has been struggling progressively for the better part of the last calendar year.

Alexei Emelin made his Habs debut this season. While he has yet to play a game his play over the years has earned him an extension in the eyes of general manager Bergevin. In his first game back, he appeared a little rusty but did manage to log over 16 minutes of ice time. Given the severity of his injury, he will take a few games to fit into the line-up as the effective hard hitting presence he is famous for in the city. He came in replacing Douglas Murray who was benched for a large portion of the previous game.

The game for both teams was sloppy. Neither team was regularly finding a groove to challenge the other. The Rangers, one of the leagues hottest teams of late, played a physical, heavy hitting game against the Habs. They let Montreal come to them and waited for mistakes before reacting to them. They were playing their first game of a back-to-back and are playing against the strong LA Kings squad on Sunday.

Subban logged the most time on ice for the Canadiens again. The night before he had put up 29 minutes and Saturday he was on the ice for a little over 25. He and Markov were the team leaders in that category and while they are very good at producing points, especially on the man-advantage. The Rangers were disciplined and only took two penalties limiting those chances for the Canadiens.

The Rangers on the other hand used their power-play to score the only goal of the game. Pacioretty went to the box in the second period for tripping, and captain Ryan Callahan tipped in a Brad Richards shot which eventually became the game winner.

The efforts of Carey Price were rewarded with a third star selection. In his last two starts he has allowed 2 goals against but the team in front of him just cannot put it together and score to give him the win. Earlier on in the season he was able to keep them in games long enough for the Habs to generate the one important scoring chance that they capitalized on to get the win. Lately though, the Canadiens are not making the most of their chances.

Perhaps their success on special teams has left them searching for answers five-on-five. They are a middle of the pack 5/5 scoring team but have used their 4th ranked power play to compensate for that short-coming.

The lines for the Habs may need a shake-up. While the Eller/Gally(s) line was doing very well in the beginning they seem to be finding themselves in a short term rut. Their production was heavily relied on in the early goings but has since been lost. Maybe it's time for Coach Therrien to juggle the lines and see if there are new combinations that will produce goals.

The next three games are all big match-ups for the Habs. First they take on the Minnesota Wild who are quietly posting one of the better records in the west. Then they see Ovechkin and Crosby in consecutive nights as the Capitals and Penguins are on the docket.

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