Expect Filip Mesar to play in Laval next season; Habs GM Kent Hughes will look to acquire forwards who can score during the off-season.
Do you think the patience with Josh Anderson has been depleted? The Habs need a big body with offensive talent, so I wonder if they would try and trade him, retain some salary and make a play for Anthony Mantha from the Vegas Golden Knights.
I don’t believe teammates go out of their way to help teammates during a contract year. However, the Canadiens certainly looked like they were going out of their way to get Juraj Slafkovsky his 20th goal in the final game of the season, which came with a US$250,000 bonus.
They succeeded when Slafkovsky deflected in a point shot by Lane Hutson and was then swarmed by his teammates. I think it’s just human nature for players to maybe compete a little harder during a contract year with their future uncertain.
Having said that, next season will be a contract year for Armia and it will be interesting to see how he responds after finishing this season strong.
Mesar was hoping to play in Laval this season, but lasted only two games with the Rocket before Canadiens management decided to send him back to the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers.
Mesar posted 19-33-52 totals in 45 games with Kitchener after having 17-34-51 totals in 52 games the previous season with the Rangers. In 10 playoff games this season, Mesar had 1-15-16 totals as the Rangers were eliminated in the second round by the London Knights.
You can count on the 20-year-old, selected in the first round (26th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft, playing in Laval next season. Only 15 of the 32 players selected in the first round of the 2022 draft have played games in the NHL, led by Slafkovsky with 121. Seven of those 15 players have played fewer than five games in the NHL.
How many good defencemen are in Laval and Montreal and elsewhere? Enough for a trade for a power forward and still keep a top defensive crew?
The Canadiens are loaded with young defencemen and, yes, there is enough to trade for a power forward — especially if Hughes is willing to throw in a first-round draft pick.
The GM holds two of those this year and next year. Hughes realizes he needs to acquire more offensive talent at the forward position.
With Lane Hutson and Logan Mailloux looking like they’re ready to play in the NHL after making their debuts at the end of the season, Justin Barron and Jordan Harris are two defencemen who could be on the move. Barron has fallen down the depth chart and would need to clear waivers next season before being sent to Laval and other teams will have interest in Harris, who already has 131 games of NHL experience and is only 23. It’s going to be a very interesting off-season for Hughes.
