Over the past several weeks, we’ve looked at the Habs and their potential fantasy impact for this season. While the rest of the team isn’t likely to have a big impact, many can still fill a role on your pool team. Here’s a look at the rest of Montreal’s projected roster and their potential fantasy usefulness.
Please note that prospects with a legitimate chance of playing this season will be covered in the prospects article at a later date.
Goalies
Al Montoya: With the team admitting that they’d like to give Carey Price a bit less of a workload this season, that should free up a few more starts for Montoya which could give him a bit of fantasy value in deeper leagues aside from being Price’s handcuff. Aside from that, he’s a passable plug-and-play option off the waiver wire.
Defence
Karl Alzner: Montreal’s biggest free agent signing is hopeful that he’ll become more of an offensive factor with the Habs than he was during his time in Washington but even if that happens, he’s still not worth carrying on most fantasy rosters. Alzner’s shot-blocking prowess makes him someone to note for leagues that have that for a stat but he’s best suited as a late-week addition in head-to-head in those pools over rostering for the full season.
Jordie Benn: Typically, his fantasy value is a bit below Alzner’s. The only thing that could make Benn a little intriguing is if he winds up with Shea Weber as that could give him a few more points along the way. Even if that happens though, he’s not worthy of picking outside of the deepest of leagues.
Brandon Davidson: He has shown flashes of potential in his career but hasn’t been able to put it all together for very long. The point production isn’t there and Davidson won’t help much in the other categories as well so it’s best to just stay away from picking him.
Jakub Jerabek: At 26, he’s too old to really be called a prospect even though he has yet to play at the NHL level. With his production at the KHL level last season, there’s a case for some optimism that he could see some power play time when he’s in the lineup which should get him on the radar. If he’s the one that winds up with Weber at some point, Jerabek could offer up a bit of upside.
Joe Morrow: He was a good point producer in junior but that hasn’t translated to the professional level, even in the AHL. Morrow has averaged a hit and a block per game in his career but there will be better players in the free agent pool if you’re looking for late week help in those categories.
David Schlemko: It certainly sounds like he has a chance to play a bigger role than he has at any of his previous stops and considering he has come close to 20 points in a third pairing role, one could speculate that Schlemko could be in line for a career high in 2017-18. That could maybe make him worth a flyer in very deep leagues, particularly those with blocks as a stat.
Forwards
Daniel Carr: Last year wasn’t a good one for Carr who wound up losing his NHL spot and didn’t score a lot in the minors either. If he makes the team, it’s likely to be as a 12th/13th forward which won’t carry any real fantasy value. However, if he moves up when injuries arise, then he could be worth a flyer depending on what line he was to wind up on.
Jacob de la Rose: His waiver situation gives him a better chance of making the team but it would only be in a reserve role. When you consider that with the fact that de la Rose brings very little offence to the table, you have a player that should be shied away from in all fantasy formats.
Peter Holland: While many have speculated that Holland will inevitably hit the waiver wire, he could make a push for the fourth line centre spot. He has put up some points in that role in the past but not really enough to warrant any sort of consideration in pools unless he moves up inside the top nine.
Andreas Martinsen: Although he hasn’t been with the Habs for too long, Martinsen’s one real skill is well-known. He’s a frequent hitter that brings nothing else of consequence to the table. He’s also not likely to be a regular player either if he makes the team. Despite that, he could be a serviceable late week plug-and-play option (if he happens to be playing that night) in head-to-head pools with hits as a scoring category having averaged just shy of 2.75 per game through two NHL seasons.
Torrey Mitchell: Mitchell’s usefulness seemed to drop as the season progressed last season to the point where his roster spot isn’t exactly a certainty. He seems to get hot for a short stretch at some point every year and at that time he’s worth keeping around but aside from that, keep him on the waiver wire.
Chris Terry: Terry was one of the top scorers in the AHL last season and despite that, he never really got much of a look with Montreal. We’ve seen what he can do in a spot in the bottom six (not much) so he’s not worth drafting in any format and should stay on the wire unless injuries force him into a top-six role with the Canadiens.