The Canadiens plan on being active in the free agent market?
TSN: The Montreal Canadiens will be sellers at the deadline looking for picks and prospects, and in the offseason, they could be active in the free agent market according to Pierre LeBrun.
“…but further proof that this is not necessarily a traditional rebuild and more of a roster transformation is that I’m told the Habs intend to be pretty aggressive in free agency come July 13, they hope to be a player. And while they want to get younger in some parts of the team, they also want to lure a big star or two to Montreal as part of this roster transformation.
Now, let me say this. It’s not like Marc Bergevin, the previous GM, didn’t want to sign unrestricted free agents on July 1. He certainly tried. It’s not a top-A destination for some free agents. But what I was told by another team today. If Martin St. Louis stays on as coach, what kind of a factor is he in maybe attracting some free agents?
Goaltenders and Rental defensemen – who needs them, who’s got them
Dan Rosen of NHL.com: Teams looking for goaltenders could include the Washington Capitals, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights.
Potential goaltenders that could be available include Marc-Andre Fleury, Braden Holtby, Thomas Greiss, Joonas Korpisalo, Pavel Francouz and Martin Jones.
Fleury could be an upgrade over Darcy Kuemper and Cam Talbot. Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner has been dealing with an upper-body injury.
Rental defensemen that could be available include Hampus Lindholm, P.K. Subban, John Klingberg, Mark Giordano, Ben Chiarot, and Nick Leddy.
Teams that could be looking for defensemen include the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and the St. Louis Blues.
Aside from Lindholm, the Anaheim Ducks will have to make decisions on pending UFAs Ryan Getzlaf, Rickard Rakell and Josh Manson.