by Marc Lescoutre , Vodcast Producer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

HALIFAX, NS. — The peak of free agency frenzy has come and gone with the biggest move made by the Montreal Canadiens being the signing of Alexander Radulov to a one-year deal. GM Marc Bergevin has been after a top-6 forward for years, and hopes to have finally filled that gaping hole in the lineup.

One other somewhat surprising deal was the signing of veteran backup Al Montoya, who was surely brought in to bring some stability in front of the net following a season that saw Carey Price miss the majority of the season due to a knee injury. Naturally, the Radulov signing has made the most noise among Habs fans and reporters covering the team, and while the addition of Montoya is a surprise, his body of work in the NHL means the Canadiens have a good idea of what they’re getting.

The next tier of signings, often consisting of players who make up the bottom half of the roster and those who might spend the year jumping between the American Hockey League and the NHL often get forgotten. Chris Terry and Zach Redmond are two of those players that have some experience in the NHL, but have yet to play a major role at the top level of hockey. The following is a look at what each player brings to the table, and where they might slot into the lineup with the Canadiens in the coming year.

Zach Redmond

Defense | 27 years old
Signed two year contract, $612,500 (AAV)
2015-16 team: Colorado Avalanche

Redmond’s contract is interesting in that he was given a two-year, one-way deal with the club. The cap impact is minimal at $612,500, but giving the player a second year shows that the Habs front office likes Redmond and would like for him to nail down a consistent role with the club.

Known as a strong skater with a solid frame and a hard shot, he comes from an Avalanche team who’s blue line has been much maligned over the last few years. This may be cause for concern for Habs fans, but I reached out to Mike Chambers, who covers the Avalanche for the Denver Post who had this to say about the player:

“Zach Redmond is a great pro, very easy to work with. He’s another Colorado castoff because the management/coaching staff places blame on players and goes relatively unaccountable.”

Given the state of the Montreal Canadiens coaching staff, and Michel Therrien’s perceived lack of accountability, this raises some alarm bells. However, if Redmond can mesh with his teammates and coaching staff, it could be a low-cost, high-value acquisition win for the Canadiens. Chambers had the following to say regarding where Redmond may fit in on the Habs blueline, and in the dressing room:

“Redmond is a third-pairing ‘D’ with limited power-play and penalty-kill ability. But he’s a capable special teams player. Good depth player. Great teammate. High character, low risk. Good pickup for Montreal.”

It seems as though the signing of Redmond is a no brainer for the Canadiens. While I have high hopes for Greg Pateryn to lock down a regular role on the blueline, Redmond looks to have the ability to provide some stern competition to become the Habs number 6 or 7 defenseman. The signing also provides the Canadiens with more options should Alex Emelin or another defenceman be traded this offseason.

Chris Terry

Left Wing | 27 years old
Signed one year, two-way contract, $600,000
2015-16 Team: Carolina Hurricanes

While many would be inclined to question the value of another bottom-6 forward on the Canadiens roster, the addition of Chris Terry from the Carolina Hurricanes could turn out to be a smart depth move for the Habs, even if he doesn’t manage to crack the starting lineup on a regular basis. Terry’s addition on a one-year, two-way contract worth $600,000 ($300,000 at the AHL level) shows that he may not necessarily be in the opening night squad, but could be called upon at various points during the year.

Slightly undersized at 5-foot-10-inches, 195 pounds, Terry has been productive at every level aside from the NHL. His stat line of 8-3-11 last year averaging only 0.16 points per game in 68 games is nothing special, but he does fill a need with regards to organizational depth up front.

Several players including Michael Bournival, Bud Holloway, Gabriel Dumont, and Lucas Lessio are no longer in the organization, and Terry could spend the majority of his time in St. John’s unless injuries once again wreak havoc on the Canadiens NHL roster.

I contacted Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer who covers the Hurricanes to get some further insight into what the Canadiens could be getting from their new signing.

“Chris always struck me as a hard-working guy intent on showing he belongs in the NHL. From my observations of him, he was very well-liked by his teammates and always willing to participate in community events for the Hurricanes.”

As far as what Terry can bring to the Habs line-up, Chip had the following to say:

“Chris’ best attribute probably is his heavy one-timer, which can be a plus on the power play. He’s not the swiftest skater but a smart, solid two-way guy who competes well. It will be interesting to see what kind of opportunity he gets with Montreal.”

Even if Terry spends the majority of his season in St. John’s, he could be a valuable signing. The St. John’s IceCaps aim to make the playoffs after four consecutive seasons without any post-season action, and a depth winger with 138 games of NHL experience is an asset over a gruelling 82 game season.

All salary information obtained from General Fanager.