FEATURE | Top 5 Available Options for the Habs

Five Players Who Could Receive a Professional Try-Out

by Matt Smith, Staff Writer/Social Media Specialist, All Habs Hockey Magazine

It’s that time of year again any many NHL free agents remain on the market. As the days count down to the start of the regular season, more and more players will be signed, while others will earn a professional try-out (PTO) offer, which are becoming extremely popular because they force the player to earn a roster spot if they indeed want a new contract.

Last season, the Montreal Canadiens opted to sign forward Tomas Fleischmann to a PTO, and while he did not remain with the Canadiens for the entire season, he did score some key goals during his time as a Hab, scoring two game winning goals in the team’s first five regular season games. Fleischmann was eventually traded with Dale Weise to the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2018 second round draft pick, and forward Phillip Danault.

Generally a player receiving a PTO is a player who will not break the bank if they do enough to earn an NHL contract (usually under $1 million), and the best case scenario is they’ll provide scoring and depth at a cheap cap hit, or, like Fleischmann last season, moved to another team for other assets.

Fellow Staff Writer Blain Potvin has already looked at two PTO options, you can see his article here .

Below are five players who could receive a phone call from Marc Bergevin with an invitation to join the Montreal Canadiens on a PTO when training camp begins, players who could pressure current roster players and prospects to bring their best performance to training camp.

I was originally going to add Kris Versteeg to this list, but it has been reported that he’ll be joining the Edmonton Oilers on a PTO.

5. Mike Richards (2015-2016 Stats – 39 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 Pts)

In need of depth at the centre position, the Washington Capitals agreed to a $1 million, one year deal with the two time Stanley Cup winner last season. Although he didn’t receive a contract extension, he did theoretically raise his chances of at least obtaining a PTO from an NHL club.

Richards, a first round draft pick (24^th overall) in 2003 has played 749 regular season NHL games, scoring 181 goals, adding 306 assists for 487 career points. Although his high scoring days seem to be a thing of the past, Richards is a two time 30 goal scorer (08-09 and 09-10), an Olympic Gold Medalist, was an alternate captain in Los Angeles and is a former captain of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Mike Richards may never return to the player he once was, but could offer bottom six depth for an NHL club looking for a two-way centre that will play a physical game. A PTO seems to be the best option at this stage in his career.

4. Mike Brown (2015-2016 Stats – 58 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 Pts)

Mike Brown plays an aggressive and intense brand of hockey, which brings energy to the Habs roster as well as to the fans. He is a player who is hard on the forecheck, making the Canadiens a tougher team to play against overall. When it comes to sticking up for a teammate, Brown is ready to step in, and is able to drop the gloves under pretty much any circumstance. He may not light the lamp often, or provide that much offense in general, but one thing is for certain, when he is in the lineup, players will be protected, especially younger players, allowing them to focus on offense, while others such as Mike McCarron, Andrew Shaw or Nathan Beaulieu will not be pushed into situations (as often) where they have to drop the gloves.

Mike Brown was claimed off of waivers and played the role asked of him by the Habs’ coaching staff, averaging four hits per game, while fighting three times. If the Canadiens are looking to become a (tougher team to play against), it is certainly possible that Mike Brown could return to Montreal in 2016-2017, on a 1-year contract after a successful professional try-out. 

3. Lauri Korpikoski (2015-2016 Stats – 71 GP, 10 G, 12 A, 22 Pts)

Finnish winger Lauri Korpikoski spent the 2015-2016 regular season with the Edmonton Oilers, scoring 10 goals and 22 points in 71 games. He was bought out by the Oilers on June 30^th, with two years left on a deal paying him $2.5 million per season, allowing the team to save $2.0 million in cap space with a cap hit of only $500,000 for the 2016-2017 season, and $1.0 million in 2017-2018.

Korpikoski, a former first round pick of the New York Rangers had his best season in 2010-2011 where he scored 19 goals, while adding 21 assists for 40 points as a member of the Phoenix Coyotes. His best option now will more than likely be that of a PTO, where he’ll fill a bottom six role if successful. His contract should also come cheap as he’s still collecting salary from the Oilers.

Teams will be able to watch Korpikoski in action before possibly offering him a contract or PTO as he will join Team Finland at the World Cup of Hockey this month. With a successful showing at the World Cup, Korpikoski should have teams eager to contact him.

2. Kyle Quincey (2015-2016 Stats – 47 GP, 4 G, 7 A, 11 Pts)

Kyle Quincey is a dependable, stay at home defenseman with more than 500 games of NHL experience (including the playoffs). Last season he averaged 19:45 in ice time per game for the Detroit Red Wings. A left handed shooting defenseman with good size (6-2, 216lbs.), Quincey could still be a functional defenseman to an NHL franchise, at a much cheaper cap hit than the 4.25 million he made the last two seasons.

We’re all very aware that according to Marc Bergevin ‘you can never have enough defense’, and Kyle Quincey could challenge for a spot on the Habs blue line with a successful try-out.

1. Alex Tanguay (2015-2016 Stats – 70 GP, 8 G, 27 A, 35 Pts)

A native of Sainte-Justine, Quebec, Tanguay was drafted 12^th overall by the Colorado Avalanche during the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche during the 2000-2001 season, scoring 77 points during the season, while adding 21 during the playoffs, including a three point performance (2 G, 1 A, including the game winning goal) in game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Tanguay suited up for the Habs during the 2008-2009 season, playing only 50 games due to a separated left shoulder. Even though he only played 50 games, he still finished the season with 41 points.

On February 29^th, 2016, Tanguay was traded from the Colorado Avalanche to the Arizona Coyotes along with Conner Bleackley and Kyle Wood in exchange for Mikkel Boedker. After being traded to the Coyotes, Tanguay collected 13 points in just 18 games, very respectable numbers for an aging player.

A veteran of 1088 NHL games, Tanguay has collected 283 goals and 580 assists for 863 career points. The question now is does he still have gas left in the tank? In my opinion, if used properly he could still produce on the scoresheet, filling a bottom six role at a low cost, and a PTO would be an extremely low risk to the Montreal Canadiens

So there you have it, five unrestricted free agents who could be receiving a call in the near future from an NHL club. Will the Canadiens sign anyone to a PTO, or will they allow their prospects to compete for roster positions? Only time will tell Habs fans!