It's one of the hottest topics in the hockey world today, as Pierre LeBrun stated yesterday that Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes are planning something big for the opening of the free agent market next summer.
Yes, by the trade deadline, veterans will leave the Canadiens, while the Hughes/Gorton duo will clean up. However, there is a purpose behind it. The freed up space, below the salary cap, will be used. (It started with the Toffoli trade, which freed up over 4 million for this summer)
As Pierre LeBrun reported during Thursday night's Insider Trading segment, the Canadians could be very active following the opening of the free agency market.
«Kent Hughes' process is anything but traditional, as the hiring of Martin St-Louis shows. Everything suggests that Hughes will think outside the box again. I have been informed that the Habs will be very aggressive during the off-season to acquire top free agents."
«Montreal is often not the ideal destination for free agents without compensation. On the other hand, teams have informed me that the presence of St. Louis behind the bench could attract many." - Pierre Lebrun
Gorton will definitely want to emulate what he did with the New York Rangers when he signed Artemi Panarin.
According to Capfriendly, many big names will be free agents this summer, here are a few: Evgeni Malkin, Kristopher Letang, Patrice Bergeron, PK Subban, Claude Giroux, Tomas Hertl, Johnny Gaudreau, Hampus Lindholm, Nazem Kadri...
On this subject, there is something new. Pierre LeBrun added this today:
"It's not that confusing. The plan is still to get picks/prospects of course; but, if there's a UFA or two this summer that can help the team now, that's a possibility as well. You can change/improve a roster in more ways than one. Gorton/Hughes never promised a 5-year rebuild." - Pierre LeBrun
The picture is now clearer, and I love that plan honestly.
Which free agent would you like to see in Montreal?
