New Jersey Devils: 5 Montreal Canadiens Players To Consider
The Canadiens have a few major decisions to make, and the Devils can help.
The Montreal Canadiens were one of the biggest disappointments during the NHL’s regular season. Despite expectations of excellence, when the season went on pause, the Canadiens were 12th in the Eastern Conference and 10 points out of the eighth and final spot in the postseason. Then, the season went on pause. The NHL came back with an innovative idea to give 24 teams the chance to fight for the Stanley Cup. That led to the Canadiens making it to the postseason.
The Canadiens really took advantage of the chance. They beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the play-in round, then took the top-seeded Philadelphia Flyers to six games. Carey Price was stellar, giving confidence to Canadiens fans that maybe this era is the one that can make them contenders.
It’s clear the way this team is currently constructed isn’t going incredibly far. This is the same team that was a seller at the trade deadline. Still, a history of trade has the Canadiens swimming in draft picks. They have 14 picks this year and 11 already in the 2021 NHL Draft. It’s more likely than any that the Canadiens are going to use these assets to make trades.
The New Jersey Devils could look at this as an opportunity. They have a really good Mackenzie Blackwood in net, but they have a little longer on the timeline. There are some players the Canadiens might be willing to part with to get assets that fit them a little better.
Brendan Gallagher
Brendan Gallagher is most well known for getting his jaw broken in the Flyers series on a rogue cross-check. However, he had a pretty good season in Montreal. The 28 year old brings a certain amount of grit to the top six and also netted 21 goals this season. The Devils have a major hole in their lineup at right wing. Gallagher would be an interesting choice to fill it.
He’s got one year left on his deal, paying him $3.75 million. If the Devils liked how he fit immediately, the Devils could extend his contract at the time of the trade.
Gallagher was actually having a down season at the time of the pause. He’s coming off two-straight 30-goal seasons. It’s clear he’s hitting his prime at the right time, and an injury setback forced him to miss a few games this season and hurt his stats.
Gallagher may be a little older than some Devils fans want, but his skills cannot be ignored. He’s a leader in the Canadiens locker room and backs it up on the ice. The Devils could use some grit in the top six. Gallagher could be the leader while the Devils young players learn how to play in this league. The Devils could offer us some really talented young forwards that are ready to play in the NHL right now, helping the Canadiens get even younger and cheaper while still adding skill.
Max Domi
What are the Montreal Canadiens going to do with Max Domi? The Canadiens traded Alex Galchenyuk, a then promising young forward who already played extremely well in the NHL, for Max Domi. The Canadiens were looking to get younger while the Coyotes were looking to get better. While it’s obvious Montreal doesn’t have buyers remorse, after Domi’s breakout season last year, they can’t be happy with this year’s results.
Domi had 72 points last season but dropped to 44 points this season. What’s worse is Domi had zero goals in ten postseason games this season. Now, rumors are swirling the Canadiens are looking to move Domi before they have to pay Domi.
The 25 year old is a restricted free agent this offseason. He’s gone from the Canadiens top center to falling to the second line to getting pushed to the wing. Now, he’s on the second line AND isn’t playing his original position. It seems like the Canadiens are having similar problems that they had with Galchenyuk when he was here.
Still, Domi has proven he can be a scorer. He’s also just 25 years old. The Devils could use a player that is flexible in the position he plays. Depending on the situation, the Devils could use a player like Domi at all three forward positions. They could also use him on the power play, where he’s needed a little help. Being surrounded by players like Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Kyle Palmieri, and Nikita Gusev could help Domi get going on the man advantage. That could really help his point totals going forward.
Karl Alzner
Before you leave, there is no reason for the Devils to even think about putting Karl Alzner in their lineup. However, his contract feels like a perfect one to buy out. With the Canadiens plethora of picks, they can afford to lose one or two to get Alzner’s $4.625 million salary off the books for the next two season. Say, the Canadiens offer the Devils a 2nd and a 3rd-round pick to make it happen, the Devils should absolutely say yes.
This would replace the picks the Devils lost in the Nikita Gusev trade. This is also an awesome draft that could see NHL talent falling down to the middle rounds. We see players slip through the cracks constantly, but this year could see some of the best in a long time. Look back at the 2015 NHL Draft. Sebastian Aho was a 2nd-round pick that season, and he’s a superstar now. Brandon Carlo and Vince Dunn are very capable defensemen that went in the 2nd round. Anthony Cirelli fell all the way to the 3rd round. Ethan Bear is the Oilers top defenseman and fell to the 5th round that year. John Marino fell to the 6th round.
Listen, there’s a lot of situations like this, but as you can see in 2015, when the draft is stacked with talent, more and more players can be stars as the rounds go on. The Devils need more “lottery tickets” as some call draft picks. Sure, they could trade back and get some picks with their third 1st-round pick, but taking on some salary would make it a lot easier.
Alzner’s buyout is great. This season, it costs just under $4 million. So when the Devils have the money, they can spend it for draft capital. Meanwhile, in 2021-22, the buyout cost drops to just under $2 million. Then, in 2022 and 2023, the Devils would only have to pay $833,333. That’s basically an entry-level contract. This would be a huge deal for the Devils.
Brett Kulak
This one would quietly cost the Devils a lot. Brett Kulak has quickly turned into one of the Canadiens’ most important players this postseason, and he’s really holding his own on the blue line. Kulak was one of the more surprising players after the pause. He missed 10 days of the 13-day phase three due to a COVID-19 diagnosis. Then, when he returned he was phenomenal.
Still, he was inconsistent during the regular season, and if it wasn’t for the pause the Canadiens would have never seen what Kulak could be in the postseason. However, when looking into the stats, Kulak is actually a really good defenseman waiting to happen.
Kulak put up a CF% of 56.82 this past season. He hasn’t been under 50% at 5v5 in his entire career. As he becomes a regular in the lineup, he’s getting better and better at stopping high-danger chances and helping his team get those high-danger chances.
Kulak was really good at getting his shot through traffic this postseason, which led to his three assists during the postseason.
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On the Devils, Kulak could have the opportunity to play with P.K. Subban on the top line. He fills a lot of the roles that Andy Greene did (smart defender, plays on the penalty kill), but at 26 years old he still has the skills that allow him to be a contributor with the puck on his stick. Again, it would cost the Devils to get a piece like this, but it would be worth it.