Don’t refresh the free agent signings tracker in your browser. It likely still won’t say the Montreal Canadiens have signed anyone of note… and, just like your eyes which aren’t deceiving you, that’s all right, because everything is still going according to plan this 2023 offseason for general manager Kent Hughes.
That’s even taking into the controversial selection of David Reinbacher at No. 5 overall at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Even if you don’t like it, there was simply every reason to have expected the Canadiens to go off the board based on insider info (and no reason to take out any frustration on Reinbacher himself, to be clear).
However, as classless as some fans have been, reportedly directing hate messages to toward Reinbacher (from ‘Canadiens GM asks fans to be patient with David Reinbacher,’ Montreal Gazette, July 1, 2023), the vitriol isn’t the reason free agents are staying away. It at least isn’t the only reason, anyway. It just so happens Hughes seems to have everything under control.
Edmundson Trade? Check.
The Joel Edmundson trade? It was realistically always coming… and for what many Canadiens fans may perceive to be below market value too, likely just to clear a roster spot on defense for their younger players. Really, at this point, only a few offseason priorities should remain, and absolutely none of them are to go the unrestricted free agency route.
Related: Top Canadiens Priorities that Remain for 2023 Offseason
Sure, the Canadiens did sign center Philippe Maillet and defenseman Brady Keeper. However, they were both for the league minimum $775,000 and both are likelier than not going to help fill out their Laval Rocket roster in the American Hockey League instead of in the NHL.
About the only thing that was unexpected was the acquisition of Alex Newhook just prior to the Draft. However, the move at least indirectly, addressed their need for a top-line right winger. Now it’s almost a total certainty the Canadiens go back to the Kirby Dach well in that regard and have him complement Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, despite theoretical good fits still remaining unsigned in Vladimir Tarasenko and Tyler Bertuzzi.
Now, Bertuzzi probably would complement the duo nicely, maybe even to a greater extent based on his playing style. However, based on all we know, it stands to reason he’d prefer to stay playing in the United States. Tarasenko is even unlikelier to sign on, and, even if he were game, it would only make sense with a medium-term deal, in which he willingly took a huge pay cut. In other words, don’t hold your breath.
Canadiens and 2023 Free Agency a Bad Mix
So, as far as fans are concerned, the status quo will largely hold true for the rest of the offseason. Considering a) the Canadiens aren’t ready to compete for anything other than a playoff spot (if that) and b) they already have a full roster with just a few restricted free agents left to ink, no one should have been anticipating anything different, though.
Going the unrestricted free agency route is generally a risky endeavor in the best of times. There likely be a time for the Canadiens to go down it, but it shouldn’t be now, when the Canadiens have as many question marks as they do, namely whether they have a No. 1 goalie in Samuel Montembeault or not and how their young defense will mature during a sophomore season for so many.
All that to say, it’s at least a possibility the Canadiens have the horses they need right now. It may be unlikely, but, until they find out for sure that they don’t, free agency just isn’t a viable option. So, it’s definitely a matter of having patience and not just regarding the development of Reinbacher.
Fans should find solace in the fact that Hughes isn’t exactly flying by the seat of his pants here. He has an idea of how this should go, and, whether that idea is right or wrong, little has deviated from the projected outcome up to now. As crazy as it may sound, that means no huge overcommitments to players on the verge of exiting their primes. That sounds just about right.
