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In Hainsight: On the Contract Front |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
While there are still a couple of months left until the draft and about a week and a half until the draft lottery which is scheduled for May 7, Kent Hughes is definitely not on holiday right now. The Canadiens’ general manager has surprised us twice in the run-up to the draft or at the draft itself in the last two seasons. In his first year at the helm, he sacrificed Alexander Romanov to acquire Kirby Dach. Last year, he flipped a late first-round pick and an early second-round pick to get Alex Newhook from the Avalanche. He might be preparing yet another coup for the next draft, but he’s also got to be thinking about the expired contracts and what he should do with those players.
Up front, three contracts are up: Tanner Pearson, Colin White, and Jesse Ylonen. The first two are unrestricted free agents who didn’t have an impact on the team this season. Pearson was a salary cap dump for the Canucks and the favor Kent Hughes had to do to move Casey DeSmith. It’s hard to see a scenario in which Hughes would deem it necessary to offer him a new contract. The Canadiens have got all the veteran leadership they need, and it would be a better move to keep some spots open for young players.
Joshua Roy has shown he can handle himself in the NHL, Emil Heineman didn’t exactly impress in his four games with the Canadiens, but he’ll get another chance. Sean Farrell and Riley Kidney both have a year of pro experience now and will deserve a good look at camp. Filip Mesar and Owen Beck will also be making the jump to the pros, more than likely in the AHL though.
The same thinking applies for Colin White who was claimed on waivers because the Canadiens were once again struggling with injury. In 17 games with the Habs, he was held off the scoresheet and got one minor penalty, nothing to write home about if you ask me.
As for Jesse Ylonen, he’s now a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. In Laval, the American seemed to have an offensive upside, but it hasn’t translated to the NHL. Ylonen has played 111 games in the NHL over four seasons, and he’s only got 29 points to show for it. To keep his rights, the Canadiens will have to submit a qualifying offer of $813,750. I’d call time on the Ylonen experiment, I don’t think he’s done enough to convince Hughes he could be part of a contending Canadiens team.
On the blue line, there’s only one contract to worry about: Arber Xhekaj. The robust defenseman is now a restricted free agent, but he hasn’t got arbitration rights since he’s only played two pro seasons so far. The qualifying offer needed to retain his rights is the same as Ylonen at $813,750. I’m still of the view that Xhekaj brings a package of skills that no other blueliner on the team possesses. I believe Hughes will offer Xhekaj a three-year deal, perhaps with a $2 Million or $2.5 Million cap hit. My only worry about Xhekaj is the fact he will now have had surgery on both of his shoulders, will the hinder his play?
Hughes's main task on the blue line this Summer will be to decide which of his young blueliners he’s ready to sacrifice to get some scoring help up front. I’d be shocked if Xhekaj ended up being the one to go. The Canadiens had not had the physical impact he can have in their line-up for years before he arrived. His teammates appreciate his play and say they play bigger knowing Xhekaj has their back.
What would you offer Xhekaj? Would you keep Ylonen around?
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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