By Jared Book, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine
MONTREAL, QC — What a week! Between buyouts, the NHL Draft and free agency getting started on Friday, there are quite a few things to look at.
Do you have a question or a topic you would like us to discuss? Okay, here’s what you can do.
- who you are
- where you’re from
- if you wish, send us a photo of you in your favourite Habs gear
- who’s your favorite player, present or past
- and of course, your question
You can contact us via Twitter, our Facebook page or email at info (at) allhabs (dot) net
We’ll feature you, and your question, in the All Habs Mailbag!
Here’s what you wanted to discuss this week:
Is 5 years, $5 million per too much for Vincent Lecavalier? I think he’d be a perfect fit but price is a little high in my opinion.
@bshah79 via Twitter
I think that is close to what Vincent Lecavalier will get. I would maybe expect four years instead of five and a cap hit of $4-5 million. Of course, in an open market that could go a little higher. I wouldn’t have a problem paying him four to five million. I do agree that he would be a nice fit but there is no room for him in the current set up of the team. I think Lecavalier coming would mean that someone would have to be traded. It wouldn’t be Tomas Plekanec, Alex Galchenyuk or Lars Eller so that leaves David Desharnais. I would be in favour of any trade of Desharnais because moving him at that contract would open up options but I am not convinced that Lecavalier would even sign in Montreal. I see him in Florida or Dallas to be honest. Maybe even Detroit.
Are you surprised that the Habs didn’t draft any defencemen this year?
@MpLyle88 via Twitter
Surprised? Maybe a little but not really. Trevor Timmins has always said that he picks the best player available. Back in 2011, he picked five defencemen in seven selections so there might be more of a lean towards forwards and goaltenders in this draft. But, if you look at the best player available in their first four selections they would have had to reach for a defenceman. If things fell differently, they would have drafted a defenceman. Perhaps if the Habs had traded up and taken Samuel Morin as has been rumoured or Vancouver not taken Jordan Subban, Montreal would have and there is your defenceman. And, while defence depth is a problem at the professional level for the Canadiens, this draft wouldn’t have solved that problem and they have some unsigned prospects like Mac Bennett and Dalton Thrower who give the team more organizational depth than would appear on the surface.
What was the package deal Marc Bergevin offered to acquire a top-10 pick ?
Stefan, Canada
There are no firm reports as to what that offer was, but I would expect that it would have been the 25th pick, either the 34th or 36th and another pick, either 55 or a third round pick. There is an outside chance that they would have packaged some second and third round picks with a prospect in their stable already. But, basically, the Canadiens would have thrown out the depth this draft provided to get an impact player. With rumours that player was Samuel Morin, I’m pretty pleased they kept the picks and added the players they did to their already strong group of prospects.
I might like guys like Zach Fucale, Mike McCarron and Artturi Lehkonen a little more than most, but I think that having that depth added to the organization is better than adding only a guy like Morin. If the move was to get into the Top Five, it might change my mind a little bit.