“There is still interest in Josh Anderson”

“There is still interest in Josh Anderson”
“There is still interest in Josh Anderson”

With the Canadian now in the playoff picture, the deadline suddenly becomes very interesting in Montreal. The club has free agents in the making (Jake Evans, David Savard, Joel Armia, etc.) for whom an aspiring team could pay… but if the CH is still in the top-8 (or close to it) at mid-February, it will be difficult to exchange them.

And above all, it would destroy the morale of the club, which is surpassing expectations at the moment. If the GM gives you the challenge of being in the mix, and you succeed but you still see your teammates leaving, it can become difficult.

That said, seeing them leave remains a possibility… and in his text of the day for Daily FaceoffFrank Seravalli placed two CH players among his targets for a transaction: Jake Evans… and Josh Anderson.

For Anderson, it’s special because he is not a rental player (he has two other full years of contract) and he costs a lot ($5.5 million per year) for his performance, but…

There is still interest in Josh Anderson. – Frank Seravalli

This season, the 30-year-old veteran has scored six goals and 15 points in 40 games. It’s a disappointing performance considering his salary… but Anderson still finds a way to contribute.

He’s still a big guy who skates fast…and this year, he’s reinvented himself as a quality shorthanded player. He is more in a supporting role, but he helps CH win matches.

The big question now is who would be willing to pay to get their hands on Anderson. We can think that this would involve salary retention if Kent Hughes wants to achieve this (remember that the club is already using two of its three salary retention spaces for Jake Allen and Jeff Petry, although they will be released on July 1st), but one wonders if the veteran’s best value isn’t in town.

Anderson isn’t a perfect player, and getting rid of that contract wouldn’t be a bad thing in the long run. That said, he’s a good veteran in the locker room who doesn’t complain (openly, at least) about his reduced role… and if CH makes it to the playoffs, he’s exactly the kind of player who could help Martin’s troop St-Louis to win games.

I don’t really believe in a world where he’s traded by the deadline, so. I don’t really believe it for Jake Evans either, by the way… but in his case, his contractual status means that it’s already a little more logical.

Especially since in his text, Seravalli indicates that he is not sold on the idea that the CH is ready to pay top dollar to sign Evans in the long term. Remember that yesterday, Renaud Lavoie mentioned that “it is only a matter of time before it happens”… even if some doubt it.

We will therefore have to see how the Canadian will navigate the waters between now and March 7, which will be the last day to complete transactions. But clearly, there are big decisions awaiting the CH… and if Josh Anderson attracts interest between now and then, that will complicate things even more.

In burst

– Ivan Demidov should remain on the SKA first line tomorrow morning.

– More good words for Lane Hutson.

– It will do him good.

– Some interesting information in there.

– Justin Verlander joins the Giants.

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