NHL | Five free agents that the Canadian should have in mind

The market opens to free agents on the 1st^is July, and there will be many moves. The Canadian is not used to going on a spending spree, but here are some names that could interest the Montreal club despite everything.

Matt Duchene

Matt Duchene finished his playoffs as the second-line center for the Dallas Stars. At 33, he is coming off a great 65-point season, but he only got 6 points in 19 playoff games. In Dallas, he said yes to a one-year contract for $3 million, and if he wants another similar contract, the Canadiens management should at least inquire about him. It should be remembered that the Canadiens already flirted with Duchene in 2019 – he ultimately opted for Nashville – and that this veteran was once a CH fan, to the point of offering The sweater hockey from Roch Carrier to his young son. We don’t really know if the scent of nostalgia could attract him, but if the price demanded is reasonable, the hiring of Duchene could allow the Canadian to add a quality forward to his first two lines. It would not be a luxury for a club which will need to score more often to hope to advance.

Brett Pesce

This is a name that fits much more into the category of dream than reality, but hey, if Wayne Gretzky has already played for five different clubs in his career, anything is possible. In Brett Pesce, 29, the Canadiens would get their hands on a reliable but especially right-handed defenseman, and everyone knows that the Montreal organization is not overflowing with right-handed defensemen. In addition, here is a veteran who would be able to properly coach the club’s young defenders who aspire to something. The reality now: Pesce was earning a salary of $4.25 million last season in Carolina, and this amount will be revised upwards, probably around $6 million per season, not to mention that all the rumors, or almost, send him to New Jersey. Kent Hughes would have to be very convincing.

David Perron

The 36-year-old Quebecer is returning from a 47-point season with the Detroit Red Wings, where he earned a salary of $4.7 million last season. As a third-line player, also capable of playing on the power play, David Perron would be a prime candidate for the Canadian… provided that his salary is reduced for the duration of a short-term contract. The forward has already hinted that he wants to stay in Detroit but that he also dreams of Montreal, which basically means that anything can happen. But if the Canadian wants to embark on this race, he will have a major rival: the Leafs and their new coach Craig Berube, with whom Perron won the Stanley Cup in St. Louis in 2019.

Teuvo Teravainen

There were already whispers that the Canadiens had their eye on this forward at the time of the 2012 draft. But while everyone was wrong, including the Canadiens with their disastrous first-round pick, Teuvo Teravainen was moving back to the 18th overall pick.^e rank, ending up with the Blackhawks in Chicago. Today, after eight seasons in Carolina, the Finn may have to move again. Of course, the current management of the Canadian was not in place in 2012, but it should undoubtedly be interested in this 29-year-old player, who is coming back from a season of 53 points, including 25 goals. He earned a salary of $5.4 million last season.

Anthony Duclair

Another player who has already interested CH, during the previous administration. He played the last season receiving a salary of 3 million dollars, and in exchange, he offered 16 goals to the San Jose Sharks, and then 8 goals to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He will be 29 when the next season begins, and the Canadian would do well to give him a call, since there aren’t that many 20-goal scorers at the Bell Center. Duclair finished last season on the left of the Lightning’s second line.