The Montréal Canadiens reached some almighty heights in the makeshift 2020/21 NHL campaign. Defying all odds to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Habs asserted themselves as a team not to be taken lightly. Given the state of the team, the progress laid down a marker. One that indicated that a couple more seasons of growth and savvy acquisitions could see the Canadiens contending for the Cup once more.
However, despite an opening to the free agency in July, which saw Phillip Danault leave for the Los Angeles Kings, but several strong players join the fold, optimism turned to disarray. As September rolled in, Habs fans learned that one of their brightest young stars, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, had been snagged by the Carolina Hurricanes as a restricted free agent.
While general manager Marc Bergevin was proactive to patch the hole, it was still an absurd series of events that saw the Canes make history.
Kotkaniemi Becomes First Offer Sheet Signing in 14 Years
Offer sheet signings simply don’t happen in the NHL anymore, with RFAs usually being coveted for their value as high potential players – particularly those selected early in drafts or who have become regulars in the lines. Still, marking the first of such signings since 2007, the Hurricanes were allowed to offer Kotkaniemi a deal that the Habs didn’t want to match, accounting to $6,100,015 for one year, with a $20 bonus.
These bizarre figures were mustered up by the marketing team in riposte to Montréal’s attempts to lure in Sebastian Aho (Carolina’s number 20) with an offer sheet a couple of seasons back. The team has said that it wasn’t a revenge kick, solely being about acquiring the player and getting the fan base engaged. Regardless, the Habs lost who looked to be a franchise cornerstone up top, having been picked third overall in 2018.
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A Rather Strong Free Agency That Inspires Hope for next Season
Before the Kotkaniemi incident – and forgetting about the scandalous draft pick – the Habs were enjoying a strong offseason. Danault went for a huge pay packet, and Montréal managed to reel in two top-class free agents as well as some sound depth additions. Cedric Paquette, Chris Wideman, and Mathieu Perreault add good depth on near-minimum deals, but it was Mike Hoffman and David Savard who stole the show.
Both are in their prime and well-respected in the NHL. Savard is coming home after winning the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s not much of a points scorer anymore, but he’s a great puck mover, will put shots on goal, and loves to throw his weight around. Hoffman, on the other hand, is a menace on the powerplay. Last season, with the St. Louis Blues, he scored 17 of his 36 points with the man advantage.
Seeing two highly-rated centers (Danault and Kotkaniemi) departing did hurt the Habs, with the position desperately needing top-six reinforcement for years. To cover the loss of one, Bergevin traded a first and second-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes to get center Christian Dvorak. With a 52.1 faceoff win percentage through over 1,000 duels, 48 hits, and 45 blocked shots, he’s certainly the two-way build that was needed.
The Habs made a lot of noise this offseason, and be it for good or bad reasons, the team may even look a little bit stronger coming into this season. However, it’ll take some doing to get over the team not being active enough to lock in the contract of Kotkaniemi.