Day 2 of the 2016 Draft
–
Day 2 of the 2016 draft was a much quieter one for the Habs thanks to Friday’s trade for Andrew Shaw. The Habs had five picks and opted for speed and help on the blue line.
Day 2 of the 2016 draft was a much quieter one for the Habs thanks to Friday’s trade for Andrew Shaw. The Habs had five picks and opted for speed and help on the blue line.
Montreal added some blueline help in the draft on Friday night, selecting Russian defenceman Mikhail Sergachev from Windsor of the OHL.
The Habs made a pair of trades early on in the draft on Friday night. They dealt Lars Eller to Washington in exchange for the Caps’ 2nd round picks in 2017 and 2018. They then moved both of their second rounders this year to Chicago for Andrew Shaw.
On Wednesday morning, the Habs announced that they have re-signed defenceman Joel Hanley to a one year, two-way contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The right wing has been an area of concern throughout the Canadiens organization for several years now. Heading into this offseason that hasn’t really changed as it’s a position that needs a lot of help.
A late-riser on many draft boards, Clayton Keller may be gone long before the Canadiens walk to the podium to announce their pick at 9th overall. While his skill has always been undeniable, it was thought by many at the beginning of this year that his small stature would push him back towards the middle of the first round.
Marc Bergevin continues to deal with his restricted free agents early as on Monday, the Habs announced the re-signing of defenceman Mark Barberio to a two year deal with a reported cap hit of $750,000.
For the past several years, the Habs have been deep down the middle though they’ve lacked the prototypical #1 centre. That doesn’t seem likely to change next year but how are they at that position in the rest of the organization?
On Saturday morning, the Habs re-signed the first of many RFA’s they have this offseason, inking Sven Andrighetto to a one year contract. TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports it’s a one-way deal worth $650,000.
The Canadiens have a plethora of players with some NHL potential in the minors. Unfortunately, most of the prospect pool in the minors, with the possible exceptions of Charles Hudon and Nikita Scherbak, lack high end offensive ability. With the 9th pick, the Canadiens might have the opportunity to remedy that lack with Tyson Jost.