The Daniel Briere era has come to an end in Montreal. On Monday, the
Habs announced that they have dealt the 36 year old forward to Colorado after
Briere agreed to waive his no-move clause. In return, Montreal acquires
winger Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau and Colorado’s 5th round pick in the 2015 NHL
Entry Draft.
Briere leaves the Habs after just one season, a year that could only be
classified as a disappointment for everyone. Montreal was hoping that
Briere returning to play at home would revitalize his career but that never
really materialized. He recorded just 25 points in 69 games, his lowest
point-per-game output since 1999-2000. Briere was mired on the 4th line
for a large part of the season, something that carried over to the playoffs.
To his credit, his playoff performance was better as he collected seven points
in 16 games and stepped up in critical games.
Parenteau gives Montreal something they lack beyond Brendan Gallagher, a
right winger that can play an offensive role. He too had a disappointing
2013-14 campaign with a pair of knee injuries, costing him 10 and 15 games.
He also found himself dropping on the depth chart, though not to the degree that
Briere did as he still averaged just shy of 17 minutes per game. In 55
games with Colorado, he had 14 goals and 19 assists to go along with 30 PIMS and
a +1 rating. He also added a goal and two helpers in the Avalanche’s first
round loss to Minnesota after returning from the second of those knee issues.
The 31 year old winger adds a bit of size to Montreal’s lineup – pretty much
anyone would when it’s Briere going the other way – but he doesn’t play a
physical style and he’s not going to help Montreal in their own zone either.
But, with 196 points in 264 games over the past four seasons (between Colorado
and the Islanders), he should be able to provide a bit more offensively than
Briere did with the Canadiens.
Contractually, both players have cap hits of $4 million and neither team
retained any salary in the trade. However, Parenteau has two years
remaining on his deal while Briere will be an unrestricted free agent following
the 2014-15 season. The extra year may explain why the Habs get the draft
pick as part of the trade. Parenteau does not have any trade restrictions.
Briere’s Stats
Parenteau’s Stats
In other news, 5 PM EST is the deadline for qualifying offers. It has been
reported that Ryan White has yet to receive his while both Robbie Czarnik and
Peter Delmas are expected to be let go as well. Lars Eller and P.K. Subban
have already received their offers to make them restricted free agents.