The Montreal Canadiens have had a slow offseason so far, with only one minor free-agent signing and locking up one of their top players, Juraj Slafkovsky, long-term; it’s been crickets ever since. General manager (GM) Kent Hughes hinted before the draft they wanted to make a few moves but nothing that would hurt the long-term goal or get in the way of a prospect advancing. The summer isn’t over, and there is still lots of time to make moves. There are also a few trade rumours involving players that could help their top six, but nothing has materialized yet.
Since the offseason is getting a little boring, let’s add a little more excitement by making bold predictions about what could happen between now and the start of the 2024-25 season.
1. Canadiens Will Trade Josh Anderson
When Josh Anderson first came to the Canadiens, the team hoped he would be the significant offensive power forward they had been looking for. After scoring 27 goals and 47 points for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2018-19, Anderson had a shoulder injury and missed most of the next season. Then GM Marc Bergevin took a gamble and signed Anderson after his injury to a seven-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $5.5 million. It seemed like a good deal for a young power forward with 30-goal potential.
In his first season with the Habs, he struggled with consistency and injuries but scored 17 goals in 52 games; he followed that up with a 19-goal campaign in 69 games in 2021-22. Things were looking up. In 2022-23, Anderson hit 21 goals but still struggled with consistency and, once again, injuries, playing 69 games.
Last season was a disaster for Anderson; he stayed relatively healthy but couldn’t get anything going consistently and seemed to drag down whatever line he was on. He had the worst season of his career, scoring nine goals and 20 points; whether it was injuries that caught up to him or he lost confidence, it’s hard to know why he struggled so much.
If he can remain healthy again this season, he could bounce back for another 20-goal campaign. With a few teams near the cap floor, Anderson’s $5.5 million contract could be enticing, especially if Hughes can convince other GMs that last season was an anomaly and Anderson can be a reliable power forward.
2. Canadiens Will Try to Aqcuire Mitch Marner
Everyone is waiting for the Canadiens to trade for Patrick Laine, Rutgar McGoarty, Trevor Zegras, or Martin Necas;…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…