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Montreal Canadiens Sign Filip Mesar

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It wasn’t just Juraj Slafkovsky that the Montreal Canadiens picked on day one of this year’s draft. Fellow Slovakian forward Filip Mesar was taken later in the round and today, he signed his three-year entry-level contract.

Unlike his countryman, Mesar might take a little longer to reach the NHL given his size and relative lack of experience. But make no mistake, he too has huge upside on the offensive side of the puck thanks to his elite skating ability.

When hockey analytics people talk about the importance of controlled zone entries, they’re talking about players like Mesar, who have the ability to weave through traffic with the puck and get it into the zone without having to dump it into the corner. There’s no retrieval necessary when he’s on the ice–he’ll just carry it in and set up the offense by himself.

There are concerns about his size and whether that will hinder him at the NHL level but for now, he will likely return to Europe to continue his development at the professional level. In 37 games in the Slovak league this year, Mesar had eight goals and 16 points.

Unless he somehow makes the Canadiens roster and plays more than nine games, he will not burn the first year of his entry-level deal this season. It will slide forward, allowing them to keep him under team control a little longer.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Juraj Slafkovsky

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The Montreal Canadiens have agreed to terms with first-overall selection Juraj Slafkovsky on his three-year, entry-level contract through 2024-25.

If you were watching any of the coverage of the Montreal Canadiens development camp this week, you can see there is a bit of excitement (and pressure) among the fanbase for Slafkovsky’s future. Crowds of people have been in the practice facility to see his first few puck touches in a Canadiens sweater, and new life has been breathed into the franchise since the draft.

The big Slovakian winger is expected to step right into an NHL role, potentially on the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, and is an early candidate for rookie of the year just due to opportunity.

Still, there is quite a few quality forwards in the mix right now for the Canadiens, meaning a number of different options for head coach Martin St. Louis.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Three Players

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The Montreal Canadiens are getting some organizational defensive depth in the form of Madison Bowey, Mitchell Stephens, and Anthony Richard. The team lost their AHL affiliate’s number-one defenseman, Xavier Ouellet, to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and another important depth contributor in Laurent Dauphin to the Arizona Coyotes.

In Ouellet’s place comes Bowey, who spent most of last season on the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. Bowey, 27, brings speed and a solid transitional game but has never been able to put together his intriguing tools into a more complete game. He had 28 points in 53 games and should play a top-four role in Laval next season.

Stephens, 25, was the 33rd overall pick at the 2015 draft. He spent 2021-22 playing for the GM that drafted him, Steve Yzerman, in Detroit. Stephens struggled in Detroit, with zero goals and six assists in 27 games, and he went unqualified by the team. Stephens is signing in Montreal likely for an AHL role, and he’s proven himself to be a capable AHL center. The Peterborough, Ontario native had eight points in 4 four games in his last bit of AHL action and has shown enough talent to be penciled into Dauphin/Cedric Paquette’s now-vacated top-of-the-lineup role in Laval.

Richard, also 25, signs with Montreal as another capable AHL-er. Richard had 26 points in 40 games for the Syracuse Crunch last season and had 12 points in 31 games for the Milwaukee Admirals. Richard is an undersized forward with a resume of decent goal-scoring ability at the AHL level and should be a useful middle-six contributor in Laval.

The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal was first on Bowey’s deal.

Canadiens Re-Sign Three Players

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The Canadiens have taken care of three of their pending free agents before the market officially opens up in a few hours, announcing the re-signings of winger Alex Belzile and Joel Teasdale plus center Nate Schnarr to one-year, two-way deals.  Financial terms of the contracts were not officially disclosed but TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that Belzile’s contract will pay $750K in the NHL, $275K in the minors, and has a $350K guarantee.  Meanwhile, PuckPedia adds (Twitter links) that Schnarr and Teasdale will receive $750K in the NHL and $82.5K in the minors.

Belzile has seen NHL action in each of the last three years with his debut actually coming in the playoff bubble in 2020.  In 2021-22, he got into 11 games with Montreal and was held off the scoresheet while averaging 10:24 per game.  The 30-year-old was more productive in the minors, notching 10 goals and 12 assists in 32 games with AHL Laval and chipped in with nine more points in 15 postseason contests.  He was slated to become an unrestricted free agent later today.

Teasdale, an undrafted free agent signing back in 2018, has yet to make it to the NHL level and has dealt with multiple knee injuries in recent years.  He was limited to just 44 games with Laval last season, collecting 15 goals and 13 assists which was good enough for the team to tender him a qualifying offer earlier this week.  Since the 23-year-old missed all of the 2019-20 season due to injury, he still has a year of waiver exemption remaining despite his entry-level contract now being finished.

As for Schnarr, he was acquired from New Jersey back at the trade deadline in exchange for goaltender Andrew Hammond.  The 23-year-old combined for 17 goals and 19 assists in 63 AHL games between Utica and Laval and will likely be earmarked to start in the minors again next season.

Free Agency Notes: Hague, Marchment, Kulak

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We haven’t heard a whole lot of offer sheet talk yet this offseason, but there is one young defenseman who could come into play. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger notes that he believes Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague is “a real possibility” as an offer sheet candidate from general managers league-wide. Hague is an important defenseman on the rise in the Golden Knights organization, and while he doesn’t have a lot of leverage on his next contract as he’s not arbitration-eligible, another team could indeed force Vegas’ hand. A second-round pick from their first 2017 draft class, Hague’s notched a solid 42 points in 142 NHL games over the past three years. While he’s been limited to third-pairing minutes on a deep Vegas team, he’s shown really solid play-driving ability as an up-and-coming two-way defenseman. With the Golden Knights’ tight salary cap situation, it’s a reasonable bet that they couldn’t match a healthy offer for Hague.

  • TSN’s Pierre LeBrun expects the Montreal Canadiens to make an offer to bring back defenseman Brett Kulak when free agency opens tomorrow. They won’t be alone, though, as LeBrun notes that six other teams could be interested as well. Dealt to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a package that included William Lagesson and a second-round pick at the trade deadline, Kulak is an underrated defensive commodity who’s extremely valuable in a bottom-four role. He’d spent the last three seasons prior to this year in a Habs uniform, and he was a steadying presence in 2021-22 on a struggling team.
  • If the Tampa Bay Lightning can’t come to terms with pending UFA Ondrej Palat, The Athletic’s Joe Smith lists Mason Marchment as someone the team could make an offer to in free agency. He’d certainly add a strong checking element to the team’s middle six, and while he likely wouldn’t replace Palat’s value entirely, he’d be a strong value option with a breakout year last season and great underlying metrics. Marchment finished 2021-22 with 47 points in just 54 games.

Jayden Struble To Miss Remainder Of Development Camp With Lower-Body Injury

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  • The Montreal Canadiens announced that defense prospect Jayden Struble suffered a lower-body injury today and would miss the remainder of development camp. The Canadiens’ second-round pick, 46th overall, in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, just finished his third season at Northeastern University, where he put up three goals and 11 assists in 34 games from the backend. The defenseman has just one more year before he will become a UFA if he does not sign with Montreal.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Michael Pezzetta

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It’s been an impressive rise through the ranks for Michael Pezzetta, and today he was rewarded with a new one-year, one-way contract. The Montreal Canadiens have signed the depth forward for a $750K salary, avoiding any restricted free agent negotiations this summer.

Pezzetta, 24, was a sixth-round pick of the Canadiens in 2016 and spent several years playing limited minutes in the minor leagues, including time with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL. This season, he became a regular in the Montreal lineup and actually produced at a reasonable pace, scoring five goals and 11 points in 51 appearances.

He’ll never be known for his offense but Pezzetta adds a bit of fire and toughness to the Canadiens’ fourth line, as he racked up 156 hits and 81 penalty minutes in those 51 games. That included five fighting majors, easily the most on the club in 2021-22.

This deal will represent the first one-way contract of his career, and sets him up for a full-time role with the team next season. It will leave him as an RFA again in 2023, as long as he avoids Group VI UFA status by playing in a minimum of 29 games.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Corey Schueneman

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The Montreal Canadiens don’t need a qualifying offer for Corey Schueneman, as the minor league veteran has agreed to a one-year, two-way contract extension for 2022-23. The deal will pay him $750K at the NHL level and offers a hefty minor league guarantee of $350K.

Schueneman, 26, surprised many by climbing all the way to the NHL this season for Montreal, registering six points in 24 games at the highest level. The undrafted defenseman out of Western Michigan University had been playing exclusively in the minor leagues for the past few seasons, including time in the ECHL with the Kansas City Mavericks.

After showing he could handle himself–at least as an injury replacement–this new deal offers a nice raise even if he’s limited to time with the Laval Rocket once again. Schueneman only earned $175K in the AHL last season, but will now enjoy a $275K salary and an even bigger guarantee.

It also seems likely that he’ll get a handful of games with the big club once again, even if he isn’t expected to be a regular right away. Montreal moved out Alexander Romanov at the draft and could be shipping Jeff Petry somewhere this offseason. Depending on what they do in free agency and how their young players respond in training camp, there could be minutes available for players like Schueneman.

Montreal Canadiens Acquire Kirby Dach

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Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes has made his splash. The Canadiens have dealt defenseman Alexander Romanov and pick 98 to the New York Islanders for the 13th pick. They then sent  pick 13 and 66 to Chicago for center Kirby Dach.  The teams have all announced the trades.

This is an absolute whopper of a three-team deal. The Blackhawks, who already acquired a first-rounder earlier today, add a second top-fifteen pick in exchange for Dach, the third-overall pick in 2019. They also add the 66th pick as part of the deal as well. For Chicago, this is another move for Kyle Davidson in his quest to add more long-term future assets. Dach was a promising prospect but a mix of injuries and underperformance is what has led to this trade. The Blackhawks, who entered today with no first round picks, have now amassed a small stockpile of picks in very short order.

For the Islanders, GM Lou Lamoriello adds a young defenseman who plays the sort of highly physical, rugged game that the Islanders covet. Romanov, 22, was a second-rounder at the 2018 draft and already has 133 NHL games to his name. His offensive upside is still up for debate, but he has played an increasingly important role in Montreal and should step into the Islanders defense and play immediately. There were defensemen set to be available at thirteenth overall, but Lamoriello and the Islanders seemingly preferred a more NHL-ready option with that pick.

In Dach, the Canadiens add a player who only a few years ago was the third-overall pick. Dach is a big center who starred for the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL, scoring 72 points in 62 games in his final season there. Dach has struggled in the NHL, perhaps a signal that he should have spent more time developing in Saskatoon before making the transition to the professional game. Dach has 59 points in 152 games and it could be that a change of scenery is exactly what he needs to get his career back on track. It’s a major risk for the Canadiens, as they’re spending a top-fifteen pick on a player who has thus far struggled to be a difference-maker at the NHL level. That being said, if the Canadiens’ evaluation of Dach is correct, they could be adding the type of big, top-six center that is coveted by most GMs and unlikely to be available to them at pick 13.

Montreal Canadiens Select Juraj Slafkovsky First Overall

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After refusing to reveal their selection all week, the Montreal Canadiens have decided to pick a player that only recently climbed into the top spot on most prospect lists. Juraj Slafkovsky is joining the historic franchise, beating out Shane Wright and Logan Cooley for the top spot after months of speculation.

In January, Bob McKenzie’s scout poll for TSN had Slafkovsky ranked fifth–a very good player but still far from the very top. At the Olympics in February, however, things started to change. Dragging his country to its first-ever medal in hockey, Slafkovsky was a force, scoring seven goals in seven games to lead the tournament. He would be named MVP, and suddenly it was easy to imagine how he could perform at the NHL level.

A few months later, he did it again at the World Championship, this time scoring nine points in eight games just two months after his 18th birthday, at a tournament that included even more NHL talent. His performance at these events, plus strong play in the Liiga playoffs for TPS, have pushed Slafkovsky right to the top of the wishlist for many teams.

The impressive part of his game is how it already appears he has full control of his 6’4″ frame, using it to shield the puck from defenders or drive the net to finish plays. So often, young players his size appear out of control, needing time to grow into their abilities and might take longer to develop than some of their peers. That’s not the case for Slafkovsky, who will likely step directly into an NHL lineup and be difficult to handle.

In Montreal, he’ll join an exciting young core centered around Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, who could very well be his linemates for years to come. With another pick later in the first round and 12 more picks tomorrow, the Canadiens will have a huge influx of talent this year, led by the big Slovakian winger.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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