Contending for a playoff spot and simply contending are very different. The Montreal Canadiens are arguably ready for the former in 2023-24, not so much the latter. So, the idea of signing soon-to-be on-the-decline unrestricted free agents once the 2023 market opens should be out of the question.
Canadiens Need to Answer Question in Net
There will of course be holes in the lineup general manager Kent Hughes has to plug. So, in that sense, free agency can be a useful tool. However, the biggest hole is in net following the “retirement” of Carey Price.
As it stands now, the Canadiens’ best option in net is Samuel Montembeault, following a fairly successful season for him personally. He nevertheless has a lot to prove, with a stat line that features a 16-19-3 record, 3.42 goals-against average and .901 save percentage. So, there is undeniably room for the Habs to improve on that front.
However, even if you’re of the belief Montembeault’s ceiling is only that of a backup, there’s little denying both he and Jake Allen would have fared better statistically playing behind a defense that gave up the fifth-most shots in the league (33.6). Even so, there’s a general belief that defense has all the tools necessary to be competitive itself in a few seasons, with the corps comprising five rookie regulars in 2022-23 (Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris, Arber Xhekaj on the right, Johnathan Kovacevic and Justin Barron on the right).
Goaltending via Free Agency
If the Canadiens (and their fans) are prepared to be patient with their defense, it only makes sense for them to be patient with the rest of the lineup, especially in net. True, the Habs do seem to lack a game-breaking talent in between the pipes in the system currently. As a result, they can stand to add one via free agency for example. However, there’s a problem with that strategy.
Firstly, the only “young” goaltenders available via unrestricted free agency this coming summer (at least for now) are Pittsburgh Penguin Tristan Jarry, Detroit Red Wing Alex Nedeljkovic, Vegas Golden Knight Adin Hill and Los Angeles King Joonas Korpisalo. With exception to Jarry, none are truly established as No. 1 goalies in the league, meaning you’d be taking a huge risk signing them, conceivably to term, that they’d suddenly reach another level of play in each of their late twenties.
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