The Montreal Canadiens did not blow the doors off NHL free agency on July 1. They didn’t need to. The club is in such a position that it didn’t have any glaring holes to fill.
Still, that didn’t prevent the Habs from getting some crucial business done.
On July 1, the club officially extended star winger Ivan Demidov. The 20-year-old signed an eight-year extension worth $73.2 million.
The Canadiens then moved on to their franchise goalie. The club locked up Jakub Dobes to a long-term extension. Dobes inked a three-year deal worth $16.07 million.
Those long-term signings come on top of captain Nick Suzuki, 50-goal scorer Cole Caufield, Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson, clutch scorer Juraj Slafkovsky, and top blueliner Noah Dobson all locked up for the foreseeable future.
That situation should make the living you-know-what out of the NHL. The Habs have their uber-talented score locked up, with none making over $10 million per season.
What that translates to is that the Canadiens won’t be having any cap issues anytime soon. And it also means that the cap increases will allow the organization to keep its supporting cast in the fold. That’s why it doesn’t look like Montreal will be regressing in the coming years. In fact, it wouldn’t be out of the question to assume the Habs keeping their competitive window open for a decade or so.
But there’s another reason why NHL clubs should pay close attention to the Habs.
Canadiens Still Have Talented Prospects in the Pipeline
The final remnants of the Canadiens’ rebuild are a still bountiful prospect pipeline. For instance, Michael Hage should be arriving in the NHL in the next couple of years. Likewise, David Reinbacher could be the next great Habs defenseman to make the bigs.
That situation will allow the club to continue replenishing its veteran role players as they begin to age out. That’s fantastic from a cost perspective. The Habs won’t likely run into issues signing depth players to round out the roster.
That prospect comes with a word of warning, however.
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Montreal Won’t Have the Luxury of High Draft Picks
One of the costs that comes with being a contending club is the absence of high draft picks. That condition makes maximizing the picks the organization has all the more important.
A good example of that became evident at this year’s draft. The Canadiens traded up to land Gleb Pugachyov with the 26th pick.
The organization felt that Pugachyov filled a crucial long-term need, making it worthwhile to trade up to get him.
Without top-10 picks in the foreseeable future, the Canadiens will need to make savvy choices with the first-rounders they could have. It’s also worth pointing out that the relative lack of picks will also place greater importance on scouting and player development.
If the Habs can nail that part, it wouldn’t be out of the question to see Montreal become a team that builds a farm system that can continue feeding the big club.
In the meantime, the Habs have the luxury of time. The team doesn’t need to make any major splashes in the coming seasons. So, it seems the Canadiens are going to be around in the playoff conversation for a while.
Canadiens Should Scare NHL for Pivotal Reason