Habs GM Kent Hughes needs to make a trade to acquire top-six forward to meet team’s off-season goals and have any shot at playoff spot.
What player would you compare Juraj Slafkovsky’s playing style to?
Hugh Roberts
They’re both wingers, both shoot left and are almost the exact same size — Slafkovsky is listed at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds and LeClair was 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds in his playing days.
LeClair was 26 when he had his first 50-goal season. Slafkovsky just turned 20 and is coming off his first 20-goal season. There’s no guarantee Slavkovsky will become a 50-goal scorer, but I definitely see similarities with LeClair.
Who will be the first Canadiens player to make more money than Nick Suzuki? I say Ivan Demidov if he becomes what we think he will be.
Mick Chow
Suzuki is signed through the 2029-30 season with an annual salary-cap hit of US$7.857 million, so there’s a chance Demidov could surpass the team captain in the future if he scores goals the way the Canadiens are hoping he can after selecting the Russian winger with the fifth overall pick at this year’s NHL Draft. But I think the first player to earn more than Suzuki will be a free-agent signing either next summer or the year after that when the Canadiens are at a stage in the rebuilding process that GM Kent Hughes will be prepared to go shopping. It could also be a player Hughes acquires in a trade.
In your estimation, did Montreal management achieve its off-season goals in rebuilding this Habs roster? And if not, what’s left to do?
Ed Helinski
Jeff Gorton, the executive vice-president of hockey operations, stated before the draft that management would like to do something to fast-track the rebuild and contend for a playoff spot. I still believe Hughes will make — or at least try to make — a trade to acquire another top-six forward or a young player with the potential to become one. If not, I believe management will have come up short of its goals.
Have you heard who might be in line to coach the Canadiens’ power play next season? Why are they taking so long to sign all the other assistant coaches?
Sheldon Stein
Do you see an increased role for Michael Pezzetta? The energy he brings every shift is special. When he’s on the ice, I rarely notice anyone else.
Paul Martin
I don’t see an increased role for Pezzetta, but I do believe he can continue to fill an important spot as an energy player on the fourth line — which isn’t an easy role to play with limited ice time. I also enjoy watching Pezzetta play because he gives everything he has every single shift and never misses an opportunity to throw a clean bodycheck. He’s also willing to defend his teammates when needed.