The Montreal Canadiens lost a very important center on the free agent market in Phillip Danault, leaving a gaping hole in the roster. Even with the signings of Mike Hoffman, David Savard and Chris Wideman, the Habs can't say that they have a better roster than last year... Without Shea Weber and Danault, it takes away a lot of leadership, they were key pieces of the puzzle.
Savard will help the team, for sure, but he is not Weber. Hoffman's arrival will energize the powerplay, without any doubt... but he is not Danault. Jesperi Kotkaniemi is a good young man, but he is still young, he must take action and play a primary role. On the other hand, Marc Bergevin, like some of us, seems to have doubts about KK and that's why I strongly suggest he signs David Krejci.
After all, signing Krejci for two or three seasons would not be a big risk, as he is at the top of the list of center players still available on the market. The 35-year-old center, who is very reliable in all three territories and won a Stanley Cup in 2011, had 44 points, including 36 assists, in 51 games during the 2021 schedule. During his career, he put up 515 assists, 730 points and 962 games. Perfect for the Habs, right?
Krejci just got out of a contract that paid him an average salary of $7.25 million, which is a lot, but at 35 years old, he is certainly aware that his salary will go down. Why not offer him $4 million a year for three years? We're talking here...
