The Montreal Canadiens had a quiet start to the unrestricted free agency (UFA) period. General manager (GM) Kent Hughes made some minor-league moves, re-signed his restricted free agents, and made a trade, sending Joel Edmundson (with 50 percent of his salary retained) to the Washington Capitals in exchange for some draft picks.
Related: Canadiens Move Edmundson and Improve Their Future Blue Line
Even though the Canadiens have a long list of items that need to be completed over the next calendar year to advance the rebuild, including offloading contracts like Mike Hoffman’s, several Habs players requested they add Ryan O’Reilly to the fold. This helps to provide some insight into the style of management Hughes employs, but also how it shows that the players on the roster see a bright future.
Canadiens Linked to O’Reilly
Elliotte Friedman recently mentioned the front runners for O’Reilly’s services. “If not Toronto, Ryan O’Reilly’s been linked to Detroit, Montreal, Nashville, and Vancouver.” Montreal being mentioned on that list came as more than a surprise, but the 32 Thoughts co-host provided the reason why the Canadiens were in talks with the centerman. According to Jeff Marek, some of the players asked their GM to try and sign O’Reilly. In the end, Hughes couldn’t find a way to do it while still being able to stay under the salary cap ceiling. But would O’Reilly have been a good addition to the team?
O’Reilly started the 2022-23 season as the captain of the St. Louis Blues. After 40 games, he had scored 12 goals and 19 points, which was a decline in production from his last few seasons. The 2019 Stanley Cup Champion was then dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a three-way trade with the Minnesota Wild. The Wild were paid a fourth-round pick to retain salary on O’Reilly to help Toronto; this allowed him to fit under the salary cap.
With the Maple Leafs, the 32-year-old rediscovered his offensive touch, scoring 11 points in 13 games. He also stepped up his game in the playoffs, scoring nine points in 11 games and was a key reason that Toronto finally won their first playoff series since 2004. Even at his age, is the type of two-way center that any team needs to be successful. He is known to be a great teammate as well. In the end, he chose to sign a four-year, $18 million contract with the Nashville Predators for an average annual value of $4.5 million.
Canadiens Player Demands
That several Canadiens players asked Hughes to acquire O’Reilly tells us a few things. First, they want to compete now. That is no surprise; all players want to win every time they step on the ice.
Second, they must feel the Canadiens are closer to being a contender than is widely believed outside the organization. More importantly, it demonstrates a positive view of the team’s direction, and it might not be long before Habs fans can get excited about the free-agent frenzy.
Canadiens’ Management Style
Canadiens management didn’t likely need much of a push to attempt to sign the pending UFA. They have been interested in O’Reilly for a while; they were involved in the talks on the trade that sent him to Toronto. However, that was only to use their cap space to acquire another draft pick. This may seem like a small, easily forgotten, off-season storyline, but it may give an important view into Canadiens management and their approach than people may realize. While it is one thing that Hughes has an open-door policy, which allows the players to communicate with him directly, it’s another thing for the players to utilize it. It shows a level of trust between the players and management that will become essential to the rebuild and understanding of his players’ day-to-day needs.
Also, the fact that Hughes actively attempted to meet the players’ demands will go a very long way. He not only trusts their input but values it as well. He also showed restraint. Instead of doing “anything he can” to provide the players with what they asked for, he remained true to his overall plan and didn’t sacrifice term, salary, or roster positions that would not fit with the team in the long term.
His cooperative management style has helped empower every department, from coaches to managers and even his players. He listens to their input and will act on it if it fits into the overall plan. While in this instance it did not end in the signing of a targeted free agent, it did give the players a sense that their ideas are respected and are included in all that management does. In the end, the more people feel valued, the more they invest in the outcomes, and this ensures that all members of the team buy into a plan. This approach almost always leads to a successful end product.
