Eric Staal

Eric Staal, Owen Power Headline Team Canada 2022 Olympic Roster

January 25, 2022 at 10:15 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 6 Comments

Jan 25: The roster below has been confirmed, and Chris Johnston of TSN also has the full group of alternates. Justin Pogge, Morgan Ellis, John Gilmour, Chris DiDomenico, Kent Johnson, and Max Veronneau will all be traveling to Beijing and could see action depending on injuries and illnesses.

Jan 24: While the official announcement from Hockey Canada isn’t until tomorrow, the IIHF mistakenly tweeted out the roster for the upcoming 2022 Olympics this afternoon. The tweet has since been deleted, but not before it was seen by many including PHR. Canada’s roster is filled with names familiar to NHL fans, including Stanley Cup champion and veteran of nearly 1,300 games Eric Staal.

The full roster:

G Devon Levi
G Eddie Pasquale
G Matt Tomkins

D Brandon Gormley
D Alex Grant
D Owen Power
D Tyler Wotherspoon
D Mat Robinson
D Mark Barberio
D Jason Demers
D Maxim Noreau

F Daniel Carr
F Corban Knight
F Ben Street
F Jack McBain
F Eric Staal
F Adam Tambellini
F Eric O’Dell
F Daniel Winnik
F Adam Cracknell
F Mason McTavish
F Landon Ferraro
F David Desharnais
F Jordan Weal
F Joshua Ho-Sang

Of note, the announcement did not come with the six-man alternate group that Darren Dreger of TSN reported on this morning. Olympic teams will get to bring a handful of extra skaters that would be eligible to play in case of injury or COVID-related issues. Kent Johnson, who didn’t appear on the final roster, is expected to be among Canada’s alternates.

Snapshots: Canadiens, Staal, Brown

January 14, 2022 at 3:12 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The Montreal Canadiens are getting closer to naming a new general manager, as Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports they’ve narrowed their search to just three candidates. Engels believes that Daniel Briere and Mathieu Darche are two of those three, and notes that some of the other candidates interviewed could still land different positions with the organization.

Montreal has been without a GM since firing Marc Bergevin in November, but with Jeff Gorton in place as executive vice president of hockey operations, there was no rush to fill the position. Even the new hire isn’t expected to carry the same weight of responsibility that Bergevin did over the last decade and was always expected to be someone with less experience in NHL front offices. While Darche has been with the Tampa Bay Lightning since 2019, Briere has been serving as GM and president of the Maine Mariners of the ECHL the last several years.

While Eric Staal is focused on the Olympics with Team Canada, he spoke to Michael Russo of The Athletic and indicated that he would gladly drop that dream to sign in the NHL immediately, if a team offered him a contract. It isn’t likely that contract is going to come with the Minnesota Wild, even though Staal is currently with their AHL affiliate on a professional tryout. Staal currently sits at 1,293 regular season games played and could become just the 64th player in NHL history to break 1,300 should he sign for the stretch run this year.
Connor Brown played more than 19 minutes last night, scoring a goal and an assist in the Ottawa Senators win over the Calgary Flames. He did it all with a broken jaw, apparently, as head coach D.J. Smith told TSN radio today that the forward was hit with a puck in the warm-up that caused the injury. He’ll is considered out week-to-week now as he recovers. Brown has five goals and 19 points in 26 games this season.

Eric Staal Signs AHL PTO

January 13, 2022 at 10:34 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

As reported yesterday, the Iowa Wild have signed veteran center Eric Staal to an AHL professional tryout agreement, giving him a chance to tune up his game in preparation for the Olympics next month. Staal also hopes to earn an NHL agreement after the international tournament, though that is obviously a little further down the line.

Now 37, Staal has only ever played one season in the AHL and that was during the 2004-05 NHL lockout. That year he suited up for the Lowell Lock Monsters, recording 77 points in 77 games on a roster that also included names like Chuck Kobasew, Mark Giordano, and Cam Ward. More than 1,200 NHL games later and Staal is now heading back to the minors, if only for a handful of games.

The Wild play the next two nights at home against the Chicago Wolves, before welcoming in the Milwaukee Admirals and Manitoba Moose next week. It remains to be seen whether Staal will travel with the team when they hit the road for three games later this month. Canada’s first Olympic game is scheduled for February 10 against Germany, though the official roster has not yet been announced.

Snapshots: Staal, Carter, Reichel

January 12, 2022 at 3:02 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

It wasn’t so long ago that Eric Staal was scoring 42 goals during the 2017-18 season for the Minnesota Wild. A 22-goal and a 19-goal campaign followed, but then 2020-21 was a mess. He started with the Buffalo Sabres before ending up with the Montreal Canadiens, struggling in both cities.

Now, as he prepares to represent Canada at the Olympics instead of playing in the NHL, Staal is expected to sign an AHL professional tryout contract with the Iowa Wild, according to Ken Campbell of Hockey Unfiltered. Staal hasn’t been officially named to the roster yet, but without any professional games to his name this season he’ll need some sort of competitive action to prove he’s ready.

Speaking of Canadian Olympians getting closer to the end of their playing days, Jeff Carter recently turned 37 and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. When Josh Yohe of The Athletic asked him about whether or not tomorrow’s Pittsburgh Penguins game would be the last time Carter plays in Los Angeles, the veteran forward suggested he is still hoping to play a few more years. Carter is having another strong year for the Penguins with 11 goals and 20 points in 29 games, and certainly appears as though there is more for him to give over the next few seasons. Now going on more than 1,100 games at the NHL level, the veteran forward will be an interesting case to follow this offseason should he hit the open market.
On the other end of the spectrum is Lukas Reichel, who was recalled to the Chicago Blackhawks taxi squad today. Interim head coach Derek King confirmed to reporters including Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago that Reichel’s NHL debut will come tomorrow night and it certainly seems like he’ll be a legitimate part of the gameplan. The 20-year-old forward was practicing with Patrick Kane and Dylan Strome today, but King did caution that “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” in terms of developing prospects, and that he’ll likely be sent back down after a few games. Reichel has 20 points in 20 games in Rockford and was the 17th overall pick in 2020.

Eric Staal Still Hoping To Play In The NHL This Season

November 14, 2021 at 6:29 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 5 Comments

As teams start to get a better feel for what they have and what they need, there should start to be some more roster movement over the coming weeks. U.S. Thanksgiving is often viewed as the soft target for that to happen and that’s now less than two weeks away. While that movement is often on the trade front, at least one veteran free agent center could also be in play as Pierre LeBrun reports in his latest column for The Athletic (subscription link) that Eric Staal hasn’t given up hope on playing in the NHL this season and that his agent Rick Curran is in regular contact with three or four teams who could have interest in signing him over the coming weeks.

The 37-year-old was a productive top-six player as recently as the 2019-20 season when he had 19 goals and 28 assists in 66 games with Minnesota. However, things went off the rails last season with a tough showing in Buffalo with only ten points in 32 games before being traded to Montreal where his output dipped even further with just three points in 21 regular season contests. However, Staal played a regular role in the playoffs during their surprising run to the Stanley Cup Final which was enough to land him inside our Top 50 UFA rankings this summer but a contract never materialized.

Back at the beginning of training camp, it was reported that Staal’s preference was to return to Minnesota but that was never really in the cards. Beyond that, he was hoping to catch on with a team in the United States although being unsigned this long into the season, he may not have the luxury of being too selective if his goal is simply to catch on somewhere.

At this stage, all that Staal can likely hope for is a league minimum contract worth a pro-rated $750K although he is eligible for performance bonuses as well as long as he signs a one-year deal which is basically a certainty. He sits just seven games shy of 1,300 for his career and even though he isn’t currently signed, it looks like Staal may very well be able to get to that milestone if one of those interested teams decides to pull the trigger on making a tweak to their roster in the coming weeks.

Snapshots: Staal, Shootouts, IIHF, Canada-Russia

September 25, 2021 at 9:39 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 5 Comments

Veteran center Eric Staal remains one of the more notable unrestricted free agents looking for a place to play this season. As Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic detailed in TSN’s recent Insider Trading segment, Staal’s preference would be to play in the United States over returning to a Canadian-based squad. The 36-year-old struggled considerably with Buffalo and Montreal last season although he managed to hold down a regular spot on the fourth line for the Canadiens in their run to the Stanley Cup Final. Staal’s preference appears to be returning to Minnesota which is where he played from 2016-17 through 2019-20 but the Wild aren’t believed to have interest in a reunion at this time.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

Don’t be surprised to see plenty of shootouts in the preseason. The league announced (Twitter link) that every game will have the potential to have a shootout and that it’s up to the teams to decide if they want to have one. This was done back when the shootout first came into the league back in 2005-06 as an opportunity for teams to practice and they’ll now have the opportunity to work on that element in the coming weeks.
Rene Fasel’s time as IIHF President has officially come to an end after 27 years. The IIHF revealed its election results today and France’s Luc Tardif won in the fourth and final round of voting with Fasel not seeking re-election. Tardif was born in Canada and briefly played in the QMJHL before moving to France in the late 1970s to play in France’s professional league. Meanwhile, long-time NHL veteran Pavel Bure was elected to the IIHF’s Council. Each will serve a five-year term that runs through 2026.
The CHL announced that the annual Canada-Russia series has been canceled for this season. The event, which sees some drafted and draft-eligible Russian prospects take on the best players from each of the three major junior leagues (mostly NHL-drafted players) in advance of the World Juniors, is expected to return for 2022-23.

Poll: Best Available PTO Candidate

September 14, 2021 at 9:11 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 13 Comments

There were some hints that the PTO market was about to open up. Within the first week of September, the Colorado Avalanche penciled in Artem Anisimov and Jack Johnson and the Pittsburgh Penguins brought in local product Matt Bartkowski. However, with the New Jersey Devils announcing three PTO’s today, including two forwards who played in 45+ games this season in Jimmy Vesey and Mark Jankowski, the floodgates have officially opened on the tryout market. Once the PTO ball starts rolling, it usually only picks up steam. With plenty of talent still available among unsigned unrestricted free agents, this season should be no different. Rather than who will be next to sign, as many names could shortly come off the market (at least temporarily), who would you want your favorite team to bring to camp?

What makes a PTO different than a signing is the lack of commitment. Sure, a low-salary contract that can be buried in the minors is reasonably similar, but even that is a commitment to using up a limited number of roster slots and taking play time from prospects in the AHL. A PTO is merely a training camp invitation to see whether an available player could be a fit for your team. Perhaps it is a veteran who may have gas left in the tank – or may not. Or perhaps it is a young player who has hit a rough patch in his development but just needs a chance to show his upside. It could also be a role player in his prime who just needs a chance to prove he can be useful to the organization.

It’s hard to ignore some of the future Hall of Famers who fit the first description. 44-year-old Zdeno Chara, 41-year-old Patrick Marleau, and 36-year-old Eric Staal each played more games this past season than any other player still available. The question is, can they do it again? Fortunately, a PTO doesn’t require that question to be answered without getting an early look. All three of Chara, Marleau, and Staal have seemingly done more than enough in their respective careers to earn a contract if they want one, but after each had a down year entering a tight, flat-cap market, could they settle for a PTO? Travis Zajac may not be headed for the Hall, but the respected veteran is coming off of a better year than anyone else still unsigned and was expected to command a contract. Could he too end up on a tryout?

Other veterans who might be more likely to take a tryout to extend their careers could include Jason Demers, Bobby Ryan, James Neal, Frans Nielsen, or Devan Dubnyk. Demers and Dubnyk are both arguably the best players still available at their respective position, but that isn’t saying much for an early-September market. It still may not hurt for a team to try to lock up that security on a PTO in case depth is needed. Ryan was playing very well with the Red Wings last season before his season was derailed by injury. At 34, coming back from a long-term ailment could be difficult, but a PTO would allow teams to check on his health. Neal and Nielsen have fallen far from their spots as elite NHLers in the past few years, but could they still have a resurgence left?

Among young players looking for another chance is Alex Galchenyuk, 27, who had the makings of a breakout season brewing after a move to the Toronto Maple Leafs last season and could be ready to build on that momentum. Galchenyuk can be a tough system fit, but a PTO would allow for a team to test his abilities with their personnel. At just 25, Michael Dal Colle may actually be the best young hidden gem among unsigned players. In fact, it is surprising to 2014 top-five pick still available, especially given that he showed signs of improvement in 2019-20 before the Islanders’ depth forced him to take a back seat role last season. Dal Colle could be worth the look, but could a team glean enough in camp without much NHL experience to rely upon as supporting evidence. The same could be said for Frederik Gauthier. One of the biggest forwards in the NHL and good defensive forward, Gauthier’s played sparingly last season within the Coyotes organization and was limited exclusively to fourth line minutes prior in Toronto. Could a brief training camp appearance prove to a team that he is not one-dimensional?

As for those players in their prime who don’t have to prove that they can play in the NHL or can still play in the NHL, it is more about showing that they possess the tools to fill a specific role for a team. Those looking for some stability and minutes on the blue line should show interest in Sami Vatanen, Erik Gustafsson, or Ben Hutton, who have both shown that they can still play. However, are they a better option than what most teams already have on their bottom pair or waiting for opportunity in the AHL? Up front, a team in need of skill could eye Nikita Gusev or Alex Chiasson while those seeking defense have options such as Colton Sceviour and Tobias Rieder. Like the defensemen, all of these forwards surely could play in the NHL this season, but are they superior options to what teams already have? And can a PTO prove otherwise?

There are strengths and weaknesses to all of these players, as well as to what they would be able to prove on a training camp tryout. At the end of the day, at this point in the season value is subjective based on what each team feels could be an area of need in the coming season and who they feel could prove themselves worthy of a contract with just a short PTO. So what say you? Who would you most like to see your favorite team bring in on a PTO?

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Free Agent Profile: Eric Staal

August 21, 2021 at 11:03 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

Less than a year ago, Eric Staal was coming off another season of being Minnesota’s number one center with Buffalo moving to acquire him in the hopes of boosting their second line. That didn’t happen and the veteran’s value took a steep hit as a result when it came time for the Sabres to trade him. Considering he remains unsigned, Staal’s value appears to have taken another hit now.

Things did not go well at all for the 36-year-old with Buffalo although, to be fair, that can be said for basically everyone last season. He struggled to produce at a top-nine level let alone the top-line one he had been at with the Wild. The hope was a trade to a playoff team in Montreal might revitalize him but outside of an early overtime winner, there’s a case to be made that he was even worse with the Canadiens than he was with the Sabres.

What might help Staal’s case was his playoff performance. He centered their fourth line throughout the postseason and was a bit more impactful on a line that primarily slowed the play to a crawl and focused on cycling and board battles. He was able to keep up despite playing through an injury and contributed a bit more on the scoresheet as Montreal surprisingly advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.

At this point, the question is whether or not teams think last season was a one-off in declining production (perhaps in part due to injury) or a sign of things to come. The former means he can still contribute while the latter is someone that may have a hard time staying in the lineup.

Stats

2020-21: 53 GP, 5-8-13, -30 rating, 10 PIMS, 82 shots, 50.8 CF%, 14:43 ATOI
Career: 1,293 GP, 441-593-1,034, -78 rating, 828 PIMS, 3,935 shots, 52.4 CF%, 19:23 ATOI

Potential Suitors

Similar to Derick Brassard, Staal’s suitors are likely to be teams looking to add veteran depth knowing they have some unproven options or ones that would like a prospect to spend more time in the minors and would use Staal as a filler in the short term.

The Staal brothers have spoken in the past about a desire to play together but that doesn’t appear to be a viable option. Detroit has already added Pius Suter and Mitchell Stephens this summer and has Joseph Veleno pushing for a spot; the recent buyout of Frans Nielsen doesn’t really create an opening for Staal either. Meanwhile, Carolina brought in Derek Stepan to supplement their top three centers and don’t really have a spot for Staal.

Among the teams looking for depth, his old team in Minnesota makes some sense on paper based on the current composition of their roster. But GM Bill Guerin saw fit to trade him 11 months ago for a winger who was coming off a tough year at a time where they needed centers so that may not be a realistic fit. Montreal GM Marc Bergevin didn’t close the door on re-signing Staal earlier this summer and their projected top three centers have limited NHL experience. Vegas has added some younger centers to push for playing time but if Staal was willing to sign for the minimum, he could be an insurance policy. The same goes for Winnipeg who is quite capped out but lost a lot of veteran depth this summer.

As for the teams that could want Staal as a short-term stopgap to allow someone to develop, the usual teams come to mind. Columbus doesn’t have much proven depth down the middle while Ottawa has had Chris Tierney available for a while and could use Staal as a replacement.

Projected Contract

Staal narrowly made it onto our Top 50 UFA list, ranking 48th with a projected one-year, $2MM contract. That may be a bit optimistic at this point with many teams basically having their rosters finalized or close to it. Something closer to half of that may be more palatable at this point although it’s worth noting that Staal is eligible for performance incentives that could be tacked onto a lower base salary to give the signing team a little more salary cap flexibility next season. Either way, it’ll be a steep drop from the $3.25MM AAV he had for the past two years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Poll: How Many Top Unsigned Free Agents Will Play In NHL This Season?

August 20, 2021 at 9:00 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 4 Comments

Following a massive first day of free agency late last month, not to mention several more signings since, it may seem that there aren’t many big-name free agents left on the market. Yet, quietly there is still and abundance of quality players left unsigned. This includes ten of PHR’s Top 50 UFA’s i.e. 20% of the players that we believed were the best available. It also includes another 13 players who played in 40+ games out of 56 this past season. There’s also Bobby Ryan, who was on pace for 22 points in 53 games before season-ending injury, which would have made him the highest scoring player still unsigned, and Artem Anisimov, whose nine points in 19 games is the second-best per-game mark among remaining UFA’s. With a nice round number of 25 top players still unsigned, which still ignores plenty of other capable NHLers, how many of these can be expected to play in the NHL next season? Time is running out and so are roster spots. Late-offseason signings are not impossible and a fair number of PTO’s are expected in camp this year, but realistically how many of these players will be able to land an NHL deal?

The top available name may also be the hardest to predict because his market is just one team and he isn’t ready to play. Future Hall of Fame goaltender Tuukka Rask (No. 14) remains a free agent and at 34 and recovering from major surgery it is fair to be skeptical that he will ever play again. The career Bruin reportedly will only play in Boston and recent comments by some of his teammates suggest that they expect him to do so at some point this year. But with Linus Ullmark signing a substantial contract to play alongside rookie sensation Jeremy Swayman, do the Bruins need Rask, especially coming in cold mid-season?

While Rask stands out as the only high-end goalie left available, the same cannot be said for forwards. Kyle Palmieri (No. 16), Tyler Bozak (No. 35), Casey Cizikas (No. 36), Zach Parise (No. 37), Nikita Gusev (No. 41), Alex Chiasson (No. 47), and Eric Staal (No. 48), as well as the aforementioned Ryan and Anisimov are all unsigned. Several of these names – Palmieri, Cizikas, Parise – have been linked to the New York Islanders, but no deals have been announced. All three have seemingly done enough to earn new contracts, but are still waiting. Bozak, meanwhile, was arguably the best of the players still available last season, with the top points per game mark even in a season plagued by injury. Gusev is a unique talent that has the chance to excel in the right system, Chiasson is a hard-working, consistent contributor, and Staal is one of the most respected veterans in the game. Ryan and Anisimov each showed that they still have gas left in the tank. It is hard to envision any of these players not playing this season, unless it is their own decision. Yet, none have signed on yet.

On the blue line, top talent is more scarce. Only Sami Vatanen (No. 43) and Erik Gustafsson (No. 44) remain from the Top 50 list and while each brings considerable strengths, they also have major weaknesses. With that said, each has been a regular in the NHL and are perhaps even more valuable as a depth option. Will Vatanen and Gustafsson find the right spot once more this season?

Among the players who were regulars in 2020-21 even though they may not come to mind as top options is a mix of aging veterans, versatile depth players, and discarded youngsters. Legends Patrick Marleau and Zdeno Chara lead the way as players who should be able to find a home if they want to keep playing just purely based on their Hall of Fame pedigrees, but lack the impact they once had. Other veterans still searching for work include Derick Brassard, Travis Zajac, and Jason Demers. Capable bottom-six forwards like Riley Sheahan, Colton Sceviour, Mark Jankowski, and Tobias Rieder are still available, as it stay-at-home defender Erik Gudbranson. Finally, formerly promising prospects Ryan Donato, Jimmy Vesey, and Dominik Kahun are all still looking for another chance.

Each player brings their own case for why or why not they should be employed in the NHL this season. All have been impact players in the league, but in a game progressively more dominated by younger players, history is no longer enough on its own to win a job. The supply of talent in the NHL currently seems to be greater than the demand, even with the expansion to 32 teams. Is there enough room for these 25 top players to find a new team this summer?

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Free Agent Focus: Montreal Canadiens

July 8, 2021 at 5:51 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 7 Comments

Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. The Montreal Canadiens come bitterly into the offseason after a Stanley Cup Final loss, but a large amount of unrestricted free agents mean it’s a pivotal time for the franchise.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Artturi Lehkonen – An up-and-down season ended strongly for the first Finnish Canadiens RFA. While in part due to the shortened season, Lehkonen had his worst offensive season to date, failing to post either 10 goals or 20 points for the first time in his five-year NHL career. He didn’t fare too well under either Claude Julien or Dominique Ducharme, at least in the regular season. It resulted in the lowest usage of his career, being played just 13:25 minutes per game. However, when the opportunity arose during their playoff run, Lehkonen rose to the challenge. Taking the left-wing spot with Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher, Lehkonen helped formed a line that shut down opponents’ top players for the majority of the playoffs. He added an overtime series winner to boot, as one of his three playoff goals sent Montreal to the Stanley Cup Final. Yet the reality stands that Lehkonen was inconsistent at best overall this season, and his next deal will likely reflect that. A shorter-term deal should be expected for a depth player like Lehkonen.

F Jesperi Kotkaniemi – It’s hard to know what to make of Montreal’s 2018 top draft pick at this stage in his career. Coming off of his entry-level deal, Kotkaniemi has broken expectations during each of his playoffs runs, totaling nine goals and 12 points in 29 games. Yet Kotkaniemi didn’t even score that amount in a full 56-game campaign this year, potting only five goals. While the young Finnish center has oozed potential during Montreal’s playoff appearances, he hasn’t been able to perform at the same level over the course of his regular seasons. With all that being said, it’s extremely unlikely that general manager Marc Bergevin commits to Kotkaniemi long-term this offseason. At just 21 years old, Kotkaniemi still has four more seasons of RFA eligibility. It’s impossible to imagine that Montreal would give him a deal longer than that, instead allowing Kotkaniemi to live up to his potential over the course of a lower-stakes bridge deal.

Other RFAs: F Joseph Blandisi, F Michael Pezzetta, F Ryan Poehling, F Jacob Lucchini, D Otto Leskinen, D Cale Fleury, G Michael McNiven

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Phillip Danault – Danault had largely been regarded as one of the more underrated defensive centers in the NHL over the past few seasons. That’s no longer the case. Danault’s shot-suppressing expertise was on full display throughout the regular season and playoffs. And while his offense took a backseat in the playoffs with just one goal and four points in 22 contests, he’s scored 124 points in 205 games over his past three seasons. The offense will come back next season if history is any indicator. It’s why Danault is expected to get a significant raise on his $3.083MM cap hit. With Danault possibly receiving offers over $5MM and even $6MM on the open market, Montreal will have to shell out the cash to retain their Quebec-born top-six center.

F Tomas Tatar – Montreal’s usage of Tatar this season, especially in the playoffs, was puzzling to many. It was just last year where Tatar had emerged to lead the Habs in scoring with 61 points in just 68 games. While Tatar was limited to just 30 points in 50 games this year, his line with Danault and Gallagher had performed extremely well from a possession standpoint. Even through the beginning of their first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tatar’s line had succeeded at silencing Toronto’s top talent. Yet Tatar soon found himself scratched for the rest of the playoff run, with Lehkonen taking his role on that line. It’s hard to expect that Montreal will want to retain Tatar at this point, especially with outside teams knowing what they can get out of him. Expect Tatar to be in a top-six role again next season — just not with Montreal.

Other UFAs: F Corey Perry, F Joel Armia, F Eric Staal, F Michael Frolik, F Jordan Weal, F Alex Belzile, D Jonathon Merrill, D Erik Gustafsson, D Gustav Olofsson, G Charlie Lindgren

Projected Cap Space

While Montreal sits with a respectable $14.7MM in cap space, the team has a lot of expiring talent. Retaining the expected pieces and building on this roster’s weaknesses will likely bring Bergevin and Montreal into a tricky dance with the salary cap yet again next season. And while no drastic moves are expected from this year’s Stanley Cup finalist, it might be challenging for Montreal to navigate the free-agent waters after they’ve re-signed key pieces. However, Montreal’s camaraderie and team strength were on full display this season. It’s the type of performance that incentivizes players to take pay cuts to play for a winner, something that may very well be a reality for Montreal this offseason.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

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