The Habs weren’t exactly busy this summer when it came to adding players on NHL deals in free agency. There was Alex Barre-Boulet and, well, that’s it. However, beyond the Patrik Laine trade, they were quite active in terms of AHL pacts which has certainly helped bolster Laval’s depth heading into the season which starts tonight.
One particular concern I’ve had in recent years is that they’ve opted to either let veteran slots go unfilled or elected to fill them with players who only project to have a very minor role. Granted, when you have a young roster and want to see your top prospects get key ice time, it’s sometimes counterproductive to bring in a bunch of top veterans on AHL contracts. But there’s a happy medium and this time, they came closer to finding it.
Among the nine players Laval signed for this season, three qualify under the veteran rule. Laurent Dauphin should play a key role up front while Tyler Wotherspoon has been a rock-solid defender in the minors for the better part of a decade. Both won’t play top-line/top-pairing roles but won’t be lower-end depth pieces either. Josh Jacobs is the other veteran and in the past, he has been a steady blueliner when healthy. (But staying healthy is the question mark.) He could certainly be a factor on the Rocket though.
Notably, they appear to have rounded out the back end without needing to resort to using a lot of NHL contracts as they’ve done previously with Brady Keeper, Madison Bowey, Xavier Ouellet, Gustav Olofsson, and Louis Belpedio, among others. All five were signed (or acquired) to be recallable depth but rarely were recalled, limiting the effectiveness of that contract slot. Gustav Lindstrom is one veteran who just got an NHL deal but Wotherspoon should be another of those key veterans this season without counting against the 50-contract limit which is a nice bonus for the Habs.
Meanwhile, they’ve shaken up the rest of their depth players. Gone are tough guys Riley McKay and John Parker-Jones with Vincent Arseneau being signed to fill that tough guy role. Alex Beaucage, Vincent Sevigny, and Zack Jones all have a couple of years of pro experience under their belts, giving them some recallable (from the ECHL) pieces with experience, something they haven’t had much of.
Quickly rounding out the list of AHL signings are goalie Hunter Jones and forwards Israel Mianscum and Jakov Novak (re-signing). They’re more likely to be ECHL-bound on an extended basis but every team needs that depth.
In the past few years, I’ve felt like the Habs and Rocket haven’t exactly optimized the usage of their AHL contracts. They handed out deals to too many ineffective players or too many lower-end pieces that were developmental projects and didn’t make enough of an impact in Laval. That took away from success stories like Brandon Gignac, Tobie Paquette-Bisson, or even Peter Abbandonato a few years ago.
I still think they could have done a little better on that front (one more impactful veteran up front would help even if it created a short-term logjam before injuries inevitably arise) but for the most part, there has been a nice balance between useful veterans, experienced ECHL recall options, and developmental projects when it comes to their AHL deals. That’s a nice step in the right direction, one that should pay dividends for the Rocket this season.