Habs News: Montreal Canadiens, NHL, Michael Frolik, Claude Julien, Marc Bergevin, Taxi Squad, Salary Cap, Corey Perry, Training Camp, Bell Sports Complex
ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | LAVAL, QC. — Marc Bergevin continued his off-season moves last Monday by signing Corey Perry to a one-year contract that will pay him $750,000.
“You look at the moves Marc Bergevin brought in in [Josh] Anderson, [Joel] Edmundson, [Tyler] Toffoli, then you’ve got the young guys, you have some older guys, and you have one of the best goalies in the world in Carey Price. All those tangibles, putting the pieces together, and I hope I can come in and help this team and go on and try to win a Stanley Cup,” Perry said when asked about his decision to sign with the organization.
Perry scored five goals and added 16 assists in 57 games with the Stars during the 2019-20 season. In Dallas’ post season run, he scored five times and added four assists in 27 games. Perry is three points shy of reaching the 800-mark in 1,045 career games.
Perry was with Anaheim when they won the Stanley Cup in 2006-07, and won the Hart Trophy as the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2010-11. He becomes the Canadiens’ fifth player acquired during the off season, after Jake Allen, Joel Edmundson, Tyler Toffoli, and Michael Frolik, who have won a Stanley Cup in their careers.
Scoring Threat
There’s no doubt that Perry is at the tail end of his career. In his prime, Perry had excellent offensive instincts, making him a consistent scoring threat. Perry has played well in important situations just as he proved in his most recent post-season appearance. In 145 career playoff games, he’s scored 41 goals and added 57 assists.
“I’m more in-your-face kind of player, go to the hard nose areas, and that’s what I’m going to continue to do,” he said when asked about his style of play.
“He had a great playoff. There are guys that get you in and guys that get you through. Given what Corey did in the playoffs and his past track record, not only last year but throughout his whole career, it’s what made him the player he is, along with his compete level. We know when the playoffs start, it goes to another level,” Bergevin said on Perry.
“When he was in Anaheim, I saw him play often. When he and [Ryan] Getzlaf were in their prime, they were among the best duos in the League. I know he’s great around the net, on the powerplay, in front of the net… he’s one of the best in the League over there. You can see what he did in the playoffs for Dallas last year, scoring those big goals and being around that net. That’s what he brings,” Frolik answered when asked about Perry.
Roster Spot
Perry’s acquisition adds depth to the Canadiens roster. He echoed Frolik’s comments that there was no guarantee given to him about a spot in the lineup. On Sunday, Bergevin mentioned that he has discussed with the agents of Perry and Frolik that the players may be assigned to the taxi squad.
“No, there’s no assurance in anything. You’ve got to come in and you’ve got to prove yourself each and every day. That’s why I’m here: I want to prove myself again. And then the next day you come to the rink, you’ve got to prove it again. There’s nothing given to anybody. We’re all here for one reason, and that’s to win a Stanley Cup. Competition doesn’t hurt anybody,” Perry said.
If I rely on Claude Julien‘s past, I think that Perry will be part of the Canadiens roster on January 13th when the puck drops against the Maple Leafs. Julien appreciates veterans in his lineup and he likes his fourth line to consist of physical players.
Perry also gives the coaching staff an extra tool in their toolbox for the power play in case of struggles or injuries. Last year, Perry collected seven points during the regular season, and four in the post season with the extra attacker. In his career, he has tallied 250 points on the power play.
The table below shows my projected forward lines with Perry on the fourth line:
Impact to Taxi Squad
In updating the projections made in my November 2nd column, Paul Byron is the odd-man out. Joel Armia is bumped up to the third line moving Toffoli to the left wing. Artturi Lehkonen will play on the fourth line with Jake Evans and Perry.
Byron gives an honest effort every game, brings speed, and was trusted on the penalty kill by the coaching staff. He has been inconsistent during the last two seasons, and the off-season acquisitions have made him expendable, in my opinion.
Assigning Byron to the taxi squad would make sense in terms of cap saving strategy. In a flat salary cap world where Byron’s contract has $3.4-million cap hit until the end of the 2022-23 season, I believe there’s a good chance that he would clear waivers.
“Our goal is to put the best team possible every night to win the game. Based on that, we might have to make difficult decisions,” Bergevin answered on choices that may need to be made for the taxi squad.
He also added that the league’s cap situation and quarantine requirements might prevent other teams of making claims, especially for players with term and higher cap hits.
“The taxi squad will help us better manage our payroll. There will be a lot of gymnastics required with our payroll. There will be a lot of transactions daily only to help us manage our payroll,” Bergevin spoke about cap saving strategy.
Training Camp Begins
The Canadiens invited 42 players to participate in their training camp including 24 forwards, 12 defencemen and six goaltenders. Players reported for physicals and medical exams at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard on Sunday.
Starting Monday, the players will hit the ice daily (excluding a scheduled day off on Friday) leading up to January 12th when they travel to Toronto. The training camp schedule includes a scrimmage on Thursday morning and Sunday night.
Corey Perry and Tomas Tatar won’t be on the ice on Monday due to quarantine requirements, and they’re both expected to be ready for Tuesday.
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By Chris G., Senior Writer
All Habs Hockey Magazine
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