Let’s play as GM and manage the files on Kent Hughes’s desk.

Kent Hughes has several files on his desk right now. That’s normal.

I want to « take » a few of them to see what the club should do, in my opinion, leading up to the deadline. This will involve unrestricted free agents starting July 1st.

After all, due to the beautiful season of the Habs, the club shouldn’t have to manage anything else (in terms of contracts or trades) with players under club control until March 7th.

Michael Pezzetta

I know Pezz is the 13th forward the club wants (so they can let him sit in the stands as long as he wishes), but the guy often holds back too much, and when he plays, he isn’t up to par.

Get him out of his misery and put him on waivers.

David Savard

Unless the Canadiens get a king’s ransom for his services (a first-round pick or an equivalent), I keep him. His best value is in Montreal, with the young players.

Arber Xhekaj is a new man by his side.

I don’t see how the Habs would benefit from letting him go for another third round pick right now. He is a veteran the Canadiens desperately need to support the young guys.

And if he wants to stay for one more year at maximum two million dollars in a more limited role, I’d offer him an extension. We know he wants to stay in Montreal with his family.

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Joel Armia

I’m not trading Joel Armia before the end of the season. And if the guy wants to sign a contract worthy of a fourth-line player, I would be willing to keep him. But he must not, in any case, be a player who is even slightly overpaid.

Keep in mind that three key elements of the penalty kill (Savard, Armia, and Evans) are ending their contracts. Opening the door to possibly not letting everyone go must be done.

Jake Evans

The only scenario in which I would trade Jake Evans is if the Habs are no longer in the race, he has a golden offer on the market, and the negotiations with Evans show that the player and the club are light-years away from reaching an agreement.

Otherwise, I keep him. And I try to sign him.

Pierre LeBrun recently said that the player and the club will both need to be uncomfortable to reach an agreement. I imagine the club will offer four years at three million dollars (12 million total). And the player, if he is greedy, will ask for six years at four million dollars (24 million total) from the Habs.

Do you do it in the two to five years and 3.5 million dollars per season? Is that too much for a guy who plays above his level? In my eyes, it’s too much. It will be less than that if it materializes… because Evans would be less greedy at the outset.

Christian Dvorak

We know that the center player does not have a high value on the market (even at 50% of 4.45 million dollars, I wonder who would want him that much) and that he will be leaving at the end of the year.

If I’m the GM, I keep him to finish the year because he is part of a trio that works and because he helps at the faceoff circle. But if he leaves in March, that’s okay too.

In a nutshell

– Indeed.

– Hmm…

– Reminder: the Habs have many picks.