Habs News: Canadiens First Round Draft Pick Cole Caufield, Charles Hudon Turns Down Qualifying Offer, Buyouts, Development Camp in Montreal
ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | LAVAL, QC. — Happy St. Jean-Baptiste Day to all our readers in the province of Quebec.
The St. Louis Blues were crowned the 2019 Stanley Cup champions less than two weeks ago and the 31 teams have already been busy preparing for the upcoming season.
The 2019 NHL Entry Draft took place in Vancouver over the weekend, and heading into it, I wasn’t expecting conversations about the P.K. Subban – Shea Webber trade to fill up my timeline almost three years after the day it was concluded. Maybe one day, we will move on from that trade. Who am I kidding?
Caufield selected in first round
The Canadiens selected 18-year old Cole Caufield with their first round pick. Most draft lists prepared by experts had Caufield being selected in the top-10, making it an easy decision for Marc Bergevin and Trevor Timmins, when he was available at the 15th spot.
Caufield played for the USA National Team Development Program (USA NTDP) and currently holds the program all-time record for goals. He has outscored current established NHL players such as Phil Kessel, Patrick Kane, and Auston Matthews, that are alumni of that program.
“Goal scoring is at a premium in this league. it’s hard to get, it’s hard to score goals and every level he was, he was able to do that so we don’t see why he wouldn’t be able to do that in the next level,” said Bergevin when talking about the team’s first pick.
Caufield scored 72 goals and totalled 100 points in 64 games playing with UDSP on a line with this year’s first overall pick, Jack Hughes. “He wouldn’t have had the amount of success if it wasn’t for me. I mean, I’m confident myself in that way,” said Caufield on playing with Hughes. “I can play with anyone, I can make anyone look better.”
The 18-year old compares himself to Alex DeBrincat of the Chicago Blackhawks. In his two seasons playing in the NHL, DeBrincat has scored a total of 69 goals. If Caufield can match that total, he will be a member of the Canadiens for a long time.
Caufield will be at development camp this week, and will likely play with the University of Wisconsin in the NCAA this upcoming season.
The Canadiens made a total of 10 selections at the draft in Vancouver. After the organization focused on drafting centres last season, left shooting defensemen were on their priority list this season, as five of the 10 selections met that criteria. Click here to view the list of all their selections.
Charles Hudon receives qualifying offer
There was multiple reports on Tuesday, which were confirmed later in the week by Bergevin, that Charles Hudon received a qualifying offer from the organization. The qualifying offer is a formality that assures the team that they will retain his rights. The offer was for a two-way contract, which Hudon rejected.
When Bergevin met the media on Thursday, he said that an offer was made because the organization still believes in him. The relationship between the player and the team is damaged to a point that I think can’t be repaired.
In 2017-18, Hudon’s first complete NHL season, he scored 10 goals and added 20 assists in 72 games. Last season, he didn’t have a chance to play regularly as he appeared in only 32 games even though he was healthy for the entirety of the season. Depth players like Kenny Agostino, Matthew Peca, and Nicolas Deslauriers all played more games than Hudon.
It was reported in January that the Hudon camp asked management to play him or trade him. At the trade deadline, Allain Roy, Hudon’s agent, was near his phone waiting for his client to be moved, but he never received that phone call. At the conclusion of the season, an emotional Hudon met the media reiterating that he wants to play.
From the Canadiens’ perspective, it seems that they want to give him a chance to play in Laval. Hudon would need to clear waivers in order to join the Rocket, but I think that would be a formality since the majority of the teams should have complete rosters coming out of training camp.
Besides negotiating for better financial terms, Hudon has no leverage in this situation. All he can do, is cross his fingers, hope that another organization wants to give him a chance to play in the NHL.
Potential Buyouts
The buyout period began on June 15th and will end on June 30th at 5 pm. ET. When Bergevin met the media on Thursday, he said that no decisions have been made yet if they will proceed with any buyouts.
I think that the most likely candidate for a potential buyout is Dale Weise. Weise is no longer the player he was during his first stint with the organization. The buyout would have little impact to the team’s salary cap over the next two seasons as seen below courtesy of CapFriendly.
Karl Alzner‘s name has also been mentioned as a potential candidate, but from a salary cap impact perspective, it would be a bad decision. The buyout would impact the team’s salary cap for the next six seasons, including a cap hit of over $4 million in the 2020-21 season. The organization would benefit more by assigning Alzner in Laval and have him mentor the defensive prospects that will play on that roster.
Development Camp
Canadiens fans will have a lot to look forward to this week. After announcing the pre season schedule and the dates of the home openers, the NHL will release the entire regular season schedule on Tuesday.
Development camp will take place in Brossard from Wednesday to Friday, giving fans the opportunity to see the team’s prospects wearing the CH jersey.
Since Sunday, NHL teams have permission to speak to upcoming Unrestricted Free Agents. Will Bergevin make a pitch to Matt Duchene? The Canadiens have been reported to have inquired about left shooting defenceman Shayne Gostibehere and T.J. Brodie. Will they be able to conclude a deal?
By Chris G., Senior Writer
All Habs Hockey Magazine
Copyright © 2019 Rocket Sports
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