With the 2023-24 NHL season coming to an end, teams have began to clinch playoff spots or be removed from contention entirely. Unfortunately, the Montreal Canadiens’ fate has been sealed with the latter for the third straight season. While numerous players improved significantly this season, such as Nick Suzuki’s emergence as a legitimate number-one center and Juraj Slafkovsky’s encouraging advancement, the team was once again pedestrian (29-35-12 as of Sunday, ninth in the Atlantic Division). The fanbase’s expectations have begun to rise, and the team will aim to upgrade its roster in the offseason with the goal of challenging for the playoffs in 2024-25 and beyond.
While they have several promising prospects (from ‘Montreal Canadiens are No. 10 in 2024 NHL prospect pool rankings’, The Athletic, 2/21/24) who are expected to make significant contributions in the near future (Lane Hutson, David Reinbacher), their current roster is riddled with holes that could be filled through free agency. Despite just playing 49 games, Alex Newhook is their fifth-highest scorer with 29 points. The team’s production has been incredibly erratic, with the exception of their captivating first line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky, as well as top defenseman Mike Matheson. They lack a real top-six, relying on players like Joshua Roy, Joel Armia, and Brendan Gallagher to provide secondary scoring.
Given that prospects often need time to adjust to the NHL (like Slafkovsky did during his rookie season), the Habs should aim to bolster their squad through the free-agent market. While a variety of pending unrestricted free agents (UFA) could potentially meet their demands, here are four that Kent Hughes and his team should consider signing this offseason.
Jonathan Marchessault (Right Winger, Vegas Golden Knights)
Jonathan Marchessault has exceeded all expectations since joining the Columbus Blue Jackets as an undrafted free agent. The small sniper leads all major offensive categories for the Vegas Golden Knights. The 33-year-old, who hasn’t played in his home province of Quebec since his Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) days with the Quebec Remparts, would provide the scoring punch the team currently lacks outside of Suzuki and Caufield. Marchessault, who has a career-high 41 goals, would command a high price due to his continuous productivity.
He is a seven-time 20-goal scorer who has hit that mark in every full season of his career. He would certainly join Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook in the top six. Dach and Newhook would undoubtedly benefit from playing alongside an established veteran presence who has demonstrated that he can still perform with age, as opposed to other Canadiens players such as Gallagher or Josh Anderson. Given his age, a medium-term deal is the most likely option. Oh, and he won the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Playoff MVP last season.
Dakota Joshua (Center; Vancouver Canucks)
Dakota Joshua has been one of the standout players in the league during 2023-24. Despite playing just 58 games, he has 16 goals (tied for third on the Canadiens with Armia and Slafkovsky) and 29 points, both career highs. He is set to receive a large increase from his current cap price of $825,000, making him an appealing choice for backup scoring. He has been far more prolific than Gallagher, Anderson, and Rafael Harvey-Pinard.
The Michigan native has only taken 76 shots on goal, which means he is now shooting at an impressive 21 percent. While this is most likely an unsustainable number, the Canadiens are in a position to take a chance on a player like Joshua given their normal middle-six forwards’ lack of output and the expectation to improve this season. At only 27 years old, the Vancouver Canucks’ breakout forward will be in the peak of his career for the next few seasons and merits a long look from Kent Hughes and company.
Matt Roy (defenseman, Los Angeles Kings)
It may seem strange to see two players with the surname Roy in Canadiens uniforms, but Los Angeles Kings defenseman Matt Roy would provide a much-needed consistent presence on the right side of the blue line, especially given that the majority of the team’s defensive corps is young and inexperienced. Given that David Savard’s contract ends after the 2024-25 season, Roy — who is four years younger than Savard — would be an ideal replacement, especially as right-handed defense prospects like Reinbacher and Logan Mailloux continue to develop.
Jake Guentzel (left wing, Carolina Hurricanes)
It’s no secret that top winger Jake Guentzel will want a high salary in free agency this summer. Guentzel, who will turn 30 in October, has flirted with point-per-game performance since 2018-19. His 2023-24 productivity of 72 points in 63 games is a career high, and he has an incredible 20 points in only 13 games with the Hurricanes. His current contract, signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins, pays him an average yearly salary of $6 million. He will definitely exceed that figure this offseason, as he has previously produced in the same range as Brayden Point, current colleague Sebastian Aho, and Clayton Keller. While Keller earns a team-friendly $7.1 million per year compared to his production, Point and Aho both receive north of $9 million — a comparable mark for Guentzel.
The Nebraska native has also scored 58 points in 58 career playoff games, 42 of which came in only 37 games during the Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017. While he definitely has a high price tag, his continuous point output has shown that he delivers as stated, even without a centre like Sidney Crosby. If Hughes, Jeff Gorton, and company make good use of their additional $4 million in cap space from last season, fans may be able to witness him wear a Canadiens jersey in 2024-25.
While an abundance of talented players will hit the free agent market on July 1, the Canadiens have a number of key requirements that must be addressed in order to forward their reconstruction. With expectations mounting for 2024-25, these four players all provide services that the Canadiens lacked this season and have the potential to contribute significantly to the team’s success as it exits its rebuilding stage.
