Cole Caufield Sent To AHL
The Montreal Canadiens have decided that Cole Caufield needs some more seasoning, sending the high-flying winger to the minor leagues after a tough start to his season. Mathieu Perreault has been moved to injured reserve, while Michael Pezzetta has been recalled to take Caufield’s place on the active roster.
Caufield, 20, came into the season as one of the presumptive favorites for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, after his outstanding performance in the 2021 playoffs. The undersized winger had four goals and 12 points for the Canadiens on their Stanley Cup Finals run, showing blazing speed and huge offensive upside. That offensive performance has been nowhere to be found this season, however, as Caufield has recorded just a single assist and no goals through the first ten games of the season.
Still, it’s hard to ignore the fact that at least some of that is due to poor luck through the first month of the season. Caufield is still tied for the second-most shots on the team and it’s not like anyone is really lighting up the score sheet in Montreal. Free agent signing Mike Hoffman leads the team in goals with four, while Perreault’s hat trick from earlier this season puts him in second place at three. Usually, reliable offensive players like Tyler Toffoli, Brendan Gallagher, Nick Suzuki, and Jeff Petry have all been unable to break through, making Caufield’s struggles at least a little bit easier to swallow.
The fact is though, if the Canadiens are going to struggle so badly to create offense at the NHL level, why not let Caufield show what he can do with big minutes in the minor leagues. The 2019 first-round pick basically skipped the AHL, playing just two games there last season after his time at the University of Wisconsin ended. He’ll now go back to work on his game and get his confidence back, while the Canadiens give Pezzetta a chance at the NHL level.
Cedric Paquette To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
The Department of Player Safety has some more work to do, as Montreal Canadiens forward Cedric Paquette will have a hearing today for his hit yesterday on Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks.
Partway through the first period, Zegras was collecting a puck in his own end and was hit from behind by Paquette. The Montreal forward was given a five-minute boarding penalty, a two-minute roughing penalty and a game misconduct for the hit and the scrum that came afterward. Those 17 minutes in penalties won’t be the only discipline he receives though, as the hearing today suggests a suspension is coming.
Zegras ended up returning to the game, which should help Paquette’s case, but it still appears as though the Canadiens will have to go without their fourth-line center for at least tomorrow’s match against the Detroit Red Wings. Montreal is trying to find any way to salvage the early part of the season after losing their eighth game, and are about to start a five-game homestand.
Ryan Getzlaf Sets Anaheim Ducks Franchise Points Record
In what could be potentially his last season in the NHL, Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf set the team’s all-time points record today with his 989th point. In doing so, he passed previous record holder Teemu Selanne.
The 36-year-old center, historically known for his playmaking ability, set the record with a primary assist on a Troy Terry breakaway game-winning goal today in a 4-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens.
While there was some speculation about Getzlaf’s future playing status this offseason, the longtime Ducks captain signed a one-year, $3.0MM deal on July 28, 2021, to stay with the team. Getzlaf’s had a hot start this season, notching seven assists in 10 games while averaging over 18 minutes a game still. It looks to be a solid uptick on last year’s production, where he had just 17 points in 48 games, the lowest totals of his career.
Getzlaf’s played in every Ducks season post-lockout, he’s now had eight seasons with 50+ assists. He’s played over 1,100 games as a Duck and his 17 seasons in Anaheim eclipse Selanne’s 15 years.
Injury Notes: Canadiens, Lightning, Watson
The Montreal Canadiens are facing two big game-time decisions for Sunday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks in defenseman Jeff Petry and forward Brendan Gallagher, as reported by The Athletic’s Arpon Basu. Basu notes that Sami Niku will draw in for Petry if he’s unavailable, while Jake Evans, who’s still not 100 percent in his recovery from an undisclosed injury, would play in place of Gallagher if needed. It’s tough news for an already banged-up team that also lost Mathieu Perreault to injury today for two-to-three weeks. Petry and Gallagher have both had extremely slow starts, as Petry has no points through nine games with Gallagher has just a goal and an assist. It’ll undoubtedly force a lineup shakeup for Sunday’s game.
More injury notes from around the league:
- The status of Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Steven Stamkos and Boris Katchouk is uncertain for Monday night’s game against the Washington Capitals. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that Stamkos was absent from practice Sunday, taking a maintenance day, and head coach Jon Cooper is “hopeful” he’ll play Monday night but isn’t certain. Katchouk was hurt in practice Sunday and could be out longer. The 23-year-old forward has gotten into four games this season and is still searching for his first NHL point.
- Ottawa Senators forward Austin Watson is close to returning and could be ready for the team’s game against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, per head coach D.J. Smith. Watson hasn’t played this season due to an ankle injury suffered during training camp. The return comes slightly ahead of the four-week timeline issued on October 10th. He could draw into the lineup in place of Logan Shaw, who’s registered no points in seven games while playing just 8:08 per game.
Mathieu Perreault Out Two To Three Weeks With Eye Injury
Montreal Canadiens forward Mathieu Perreault will miss two to three weeks of game action due to an eye injury, per Sportsnet’s Eric Engels.
Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme mentions that the injury to Perreault did not occur during the team’s last game against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, and Perreault had instead been playing through the injury for some time. Team doctors determined that Perreault would miss the aforementioned time period after a consultation.
Perreault had moved to the center position in recent games as Jake Evans has been absent from the lineup with a day-to-day status, playing between Tyler Toffoli and Cole Caufield. The Quebec native has done well early in his Montreal tenure, scoring four points (including a hat trick) in eight games. That’s tied for fourth in points on the Habs.
The 34-year-old Perreault makes a homecoming to Montreal this season after a 12-season NHL career split between the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, and mainly, the Winnipeg Jets. Perreault signed a one-year, $950,000 contract with Montreal in late July after a seven-year tenure with Winnipeg.
In Perreault’s absence, the team will likely rely more on Adam Brooks to get into some games after being claimed off waivers prior to the season from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Joel Edmundson Returning To Montreal Canadiens After Leave Of Absence
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson is returning to the team after a leave of absence and is back in the city, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. As he continues to recover from an injury that’s kept him out since the beginning of the season, Lavoie reports he’s expected to make his season debut within the next two weeks.
Edmundson took an indefinite leave of absence from the team just a few days again in order to be with his father who’s currently dealing with cancer. It’s a promising sign that Edmundson is already back in Montreal and working towards a return.
Any change would help the Habs right now, who are reeling with an 0-5-0 start. Edmundson played over 20 minutes a night last season, supplementing 13 points in 55 games with solid defensive play. He played over 23 minutes a night in the playoffs, forming a formidable pairing with Jeff Petry. That’s where he could slot again once he returns to the lineup, allowing head coach Dominique Ducharme to experiment with some different pairings to stop the bleeding.
Edmundson is in the second season of a four-year, $14MM deal ($3.5MM cap hit) he signed with Montreal after they acquired his signing rights in September 2020.
His return could potentially mark the healthiest Montreal’s defense will be all season if there are no further injuries, as Shea Weber is expected to be absent for the entire year.
Prospect Mattias Norlinder To Resume Skating This Week
- Per The Athletic’s Marc-Antoine Godin, Canadiens defense prospect Mattias Norlinder will resume skating this week after missing the beginning of the 2021-22 season. While he’s loaned to Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League this season, the Habs prospect had a strong camp and this year is an important one in his development. A third-round pick of the squad in 2019, Norlinder had a respectable 10 points in 37 games last year in Sweden and looks to continue his growth on a defense core that also includes the Detroit Red Wings’ Simon Edvinsson and former NHLer Christian Folin.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Montreal Canadiens
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading for the 2021-22 season and beyond. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Montreal Canadiens
Current Cap Hit: $90,481,370 (over the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Cole Caufield (two years, $881K)
D Alexander Romanov (one year, $894K)
F Nick Suzuki (one year, $863K)
Potential Bonuses
Caufield: $300K
Romanov: $637.5K
Suzuki: $537.5K
Total: $1.475MM
Caufield joined Montreal late last season and wound up playing in their top six pretty much the rest of the way including for most of their playoff run. Viewed as a possible contender for the Calder Trophy, expectations are quite high for the 20-year-old who is a candidate to bypass a bridge contract and sign a long-term pact. That’s what happened with Suzuki (we’ll get to his extension later) who is quite the bargain this season before his next deal kicks in. Both players have very good chances of hitting their bonuses.
Romanov played a regular role during the regular season but hardly played during the playoffs. This season, he has moved up and down early on and hasn’t really locked down a spot in the top four. That has him trending towards a bridge contract while he could hit one or two of the three ‘A’ bonuses in his deal.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Adam Brooks ($725K, RFA)
D Ben Chiarot ($3.5MM, UFA)
D Brett Kulak ($1.85MM, UFA)
F Artturi Lehkonen ($2.3MM, RFA)
G Sam Montembeault ($750K, RFA)
D Sami Niku ($750K, RFA)
F Cedric Paquette ($950K, UFA)
F Mathieu Perreault ($950K, UFA)
D Chris Wideman ($750K, UFA)
Lehkonen has been an effective checker for Montreal for the past few seasons but his price tag is approaching the point where he’s getting too expensive for that role. If he winds up on the fourth line for a good chunk of the season, he becomes a non-tender candidate. Otherwise, if he scores enough to stick around, his raise shouldn’t be too substantial. Paquette and Perreault signed as unrestricted free agents back in July and have had limited roles so far this season. With the cap crunch that’s looming, this is the price tag they’ll need their fourth liners to have, if not a little lower. If they take something like that next summer, a return is possible. Brooks was added on waivers and will need to have close to a regular role to avoid Group VI UFA status. At this point, he should be able to get a small raise – particularly if he becomes UFA-eligible – but should still be in the six-figure range.
Chiarot’s contract with the Canadiens was a head-scratcher when he signed it in that it seemed to be well above his value but he has established himself as a top-four blueliner and his performance in the playoffs certainly helped his value. A raise next summer certainly isn’t out of the question although it’s doubtful it will come in Montreal with their cap situation. Kulak has played well at times and struggled at others, shifting him to a lower rung on the depth chart. His spot is one they’ll likely want to carry someone a little cheaper in moving forward. Wideman and Niku were added to try to add some firepower from the back end though both have struggled in their own end in the past which has hurt their value. If one of them becomes a regular, there’s a case to be made for a raise next summer but if they’re in and out of the lineup, another contract close to the minimum is likely.
Montembeault was brought in as extra depth in the preseason and is basically a short-term placeholder as the backup right now. It’s certainly not ideal from a development scenario – he turns 25 next week and has only 130 career professional appearances – and that will hurt his next contract unless he winds up being the number two option all season long. At this point, another two-way deal near the NHL minimum is likely.
Two Years Remaining
G Jake Allen ($2.875MM, RFA)
F Paul Byron ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Jonathan Drouin ($5.5MM, UFA)
Drouin’s return has been a positive one after taking a leave of absence late last season. On the whole, his production with Montreal hasn’t lived up to the price tag which would have him seemingly heading for a pay decrease unless he is able to establish himself as a consistent scoring threat over the next two seasons instead of being consistently inconsistent. Byron has been one of the better waiver pickups in recent years but with where he is on Montreal’s depth chart when fully healthy (the fourth line), it’s a deal that’s well above market rate. It’s a premium they could once afford but this contract will cause them some issues next summer.
Allen opted not to test the free agent market this past summer, instead inking a two-year deal shortly after being acquired and putting him on what appeared to be a pathway to Seattle until he wound up being protected. Viewed as an above-average backup, he’s making a bit less than what typical second-stringers have recently landed on the open market. They’ll get good value from this deal.
Three Years Remaining
D Joel Edmundson ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Mike Hoffman ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Tyler Toffoli ($4.25MM, UFA)
Hoffman didn’t have much luck in free agency a year ago, having to eventually settle for a one-year deal. However, he fared much better this time around, signing this contract within a few hours of the market opening up. A consistent scorer, Hoffman should fill some holes offensively for the Canadiens but his limitations otherwise make him a bit of a curious fit. Toffoli, who is more of a two-way player, is a better fit for Montreal and is coming off a surprisingly strong first season with the Canadiens that saw him finish seventh in the league in goals scored. That was a nice return for someone making the money of someone on the second line.
Edmundson’s first season with Montreal was a good one, as he earned a spot in their top four while logging over 20 minutes a game during the regular season and more than 23 minutes per night in the playoffs. He doesn’t produce much offensively but players like him have been in the $3.5MM to $4MM range over the last couple of offseasons.
Bergevin Would Like Extension In "Perfect World"
- Meanwhile, Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin told reporters yesterday that in a perfect world he would be back with the team next season, but that talks are still put off until the end of the season. He confirmed he still has total control over hockey decisions, despite his contract expiring at the end of this season. Arpon Basu of The Athletic examined his comments and suggests that the ball is now squarely in owner Geoff Molson‘s court after Bergevin spoke publicly and made his desire to stay clear.
Canadiens' Edmundson Taking Personal Leave
- Montreal Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson is recovering from injury, but he won’t be back with the team just yet. GM Marc Bergevin explained to reporters today including John Lu of TSN that Edmundson is taking a leave from the team to be with his father who is suffering from cancer. Edmundson has not yet played this season.