Will the Canadiens sign a veteran backup? Trade Kulak? Sign Kovalchuk?
Eric Engels of Sportsnet: (mailbag) The Montreal Canadiens signed seven-year KHL veteran goaltender Vasili Demchenko back in April. They could still look to sign a veteran backup in free agency. wonders if they’d take a run at Anton Khudobin if he prices himself out in Dallas. Khudobin could get interest from someone as a potential 1B goal and he could look for a three-year deal at over $2.5 million per. Could the Canadiens offer him a two-year deal but at more money? They have the cap space and it would give Cayden Primeau a little more seasoning time.
Alexander Romanov will likely land on their third pairing.
The Canadiens should be looking to trade defenseman Brett Kulak because of Romanov and that he has a good value contract at $1.85 million through 2022.
Based on the information that has collected, Ilya Kovalchuk will back with the Canadiens. Now, things can obviously change, but the odds are good.
Did newly signed left-handed defenseman Lehtonen answer Maple Leafs right-sided question for next season?
Luke Fox of Sportsnet: The Toronto Maple Leafs signed left-handed defenseman Mikko Lehtonen on Monday to a one-year deal worth $925,000.
Maple Leafs left-handed defensemen already under contract for next season now include Lehtonen, Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, Rasmus Sandin, Travis Dermott, Martin Marincin, Calle Rosen, Teemu Kivihalme….
“I played in Sweden a whole season on the right side , so it’s not important to me. Doesn’t matter, right or left side, I’m OK with both. Actually, sometimes I like more right side,” Lehtonen said on a conference call Monday.
“I think the Leafs are a really good organization, a traditional organization, and I think my game fits pretty well with Toronto because they want to skate well.”
Though it’s likely that right-handed defenseman Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci are going to hit the open market this offseason, it’s not a forgone conclusion that they won’t be back with the Maple Leafs.