Canadiens technically make room for free agents by not qualifying Ylonen – The Hockey Writers – Montreal Canadiens

Now, it’s technically true that the Montreal Canadiens opened up a roster spot ahead of free agency. By not giving Jesse Ylonen a qualifying offer, general manager Kent Hughes cleared the roster of a young player who had made the 2023-24 opening day roster but failed to win from the field in the lineup, scoring just eight points in 59 games last season.

So the Canadiens have indeed opened up a spot in free agency. However, the title is admittedly misleading in that sense, as the Tricoloreuh Accordingly, it is disingenuous to suggest that this is their plan, when the circumstances heading into 2024-2025 are (obviously) significantly different.

Armia will take someone’s place in the NHL

For starters, the Canadiens gave Ylonen that chance in part because Joel Armia was demoted. Thanks to a series of injuries, including Kirby Dach, Armia got another chance. He made the most of it, scoring a career-high 17 goals last season that made him the team’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

So it’s unlikely the Canadiens will demote Armia again, especially since he’s entering his final season under contract. Hughes would likely like to turn Armia into as many future assets as possible. That means putting him on display in the NHL. As a result, especially with Dach back, there’s not really a net gain in roster space, at least not yet.

Of course, Hughes reserves the right to trade Armia (or try to) this summer. Otherwise, because of his chemistry with Joshua Roy and the likely goal of building the best team possible in the face of higher expectations, someone like Christian Dvorak would be the ideal player to trade.

Related: Canadiens must resolve Christian Dvorak dilemma at center

Either way, as things currently stand, the Canadiens simply don’t have the ability to draft anyone, especially in the top six. This is true in the sense that the only free place that the Habs have among the top six is ​​logically reserved for Josh Anderson, at least to start the season. With so much tenure and money remaining on the struggling winger’s deal, resigning himself to keeping him in a bottom-six role, without at least trying him on a line with Dach, is probably for the less unappetizing.

Canadians have already defined their top 6

Even if Anderson doesn’t crack the top-six, the Canadiens have a particularly young core, which was recently rejuvenated with the selection of Ivan Demidov at right wing (Anderson’s position). Demidov is set to come to North America in a year, and it doesn’t make sense to sign another top-six forward when he’s clearly destined to play a significant role on the team. Unless they’re about to retire, any new top-six player would a) be expected to be a fixed-term contract and would a) only serve as an unnecessary obstacle for Demidov in the lineup.

Ultimately, with Demidov, the Canadiens’ top six for the foreseeable future is largely determined. It will likely include some combination of him, Dach, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Alex Newhook and Roy.

Roy’s inclusion is a testament to his impressive performance as a rookie. He is nevertheless the seventh name on the list. There is no guarantee that it will eventually appear there. Rather, it’s a sign that the Canadiens, with a strengthened prospect pool, have the theoretical luxury of rolling three or more lines in the future. But you’re not going to sign someone when a prospect like Emil Heineman, whose skills translate better to those of a bottom-of-the-table forward than Ylonen’s, is readily available. He would have been close to making it last season as well.

Of course, Heineman is not guaranteed to succeed in 2024-25. There is no room in the current state of affairs. However, it does show that if Hughes can to get rid of an unwanted contract, they already have options available, cheaper options, options that make more sense than agreeing to a new contract through free agency.

Lessons learned from losing Ylonen

Figuring out what to do with Ylonen was ultimately a bigger priority for Hughes in the offseason than recruiting someone new. Hughes can now move on to the bigger fish he has to fry, namely the re-signing of Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron, restricted free agents who both qualified.

Losing Ylonen for nothing is a shame. However, if there’s one thing the Canadiens take away from this experience, it’s that an overloaded roster isn’t exactly conducive to developing young players with NHL potential. Of course, no one can say for sure if Ylonen could have succeeded with the Canadiens otherwise, but he had undeniably shown potential, playing on the first line with Suzuki a few seasons ago.

Declining players like Anderson and Brendan Gallagher, and generally speaking, whatever UFA fans have their eyes on, only clog up that pipeline. The fact that Anderson is once again all but guaranteed another shot at the top six is ​​proof of that. So for all the UFA names thrown around before free agency, Hughes would do well to remember only Ylonen. He’s one himself now. Hopefully he finds a place on another team, because clearly the Canadiens didn’t need him anymore. They’re not doing it for anyone else right now, either.