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Eller Extended. Bourque's Opportunity. Subban Terms? |
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Nice deal for the Canadiens on Lars Eller. Both parties were able to agree to a two-year pact that will pay him $1.325 mil per season.
If there's a player on the Canadiens that's slated to break out this season, it's him.
Considering Eller's production without stable linemates, and without much opportunity to contribute to the powerplay, we've seen some great potential.
Can he improve his offense while being expected to be a shutdown centreman?
That has to be the expectation from Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien.
One key to Eller's role will be improving in the faceoff dot. Last season he won just 319 of 685 draws, for an efficiency of 46.6%. That's an improvement on his 42.4% efficiency in 2010-11, but not a remarkable one.
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One of the most prominent discussion points of the offseason relates to Rene Bourque's future with the Canadiens.
What we saw last season was a dispassionate display at best, and a careless, effortless stint with the Canadiens at worst from the top player acquired in the deal that sent Michael Cammalleri to the Calgary Flames.
Bourque's $3.33 million cap-hit for the next four seasons could either be the team's worst headache (and that's saying a lot considering seemingly unmovable contracts given to Scott Gomez and Tomas Kaberle) or its biggest blessing, if he can redeem himself and get back to the form that saw him score 27 goals in two straight seasons, after a 21-goal performance in just 58 games, in 2008-09.
The consensus right now is that the Canadiens have no other option but to wait and find out which version of Bourque they're getting this season. Not to say they haven't kicked the tires on trying to get him moved.
Where will Bourque line up if he remains with the Canadiens?
Bergevin's got the rest of the summer and all of training camp to find an upgrade for the second line. Preferably, if a quality player is available, Bergevin will bring him in before training camp. But time is not of the essence in this case, and the Canadiens may very well be eager to see what Bourque can do before moving in this department.
Either way, it's a pretty good situation for Bourque. He'll be given the opportunity to prove that the trade out of Calgary after settling long-term was what unsettled him so much in Montreal, and that he can redeem himself. It's all about attitude, and if he comes into camp with the passion expected of him (Therrien will certainly command as much), he'll have a golden opportunity to do what he should be doing in the NHL; score goals next to Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta.
And if he can't do that because the fit just isn't there; and if the Canadiens do get stuck with him regardless, he can maybe do something with a centre like Lars Eller.
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Dave Stubbs reported via Twitter this weekend that P.K. Subban and the Canadiens are continuing with negotiations.
I was informed last week that the conversation has them agreeing to a 6-year term, like Price and Gorges. That--at least--is what Subban is after.
Will the Canadiens comply?
What's the better strategy for them?
Is it to do with Subban what they did with Price and Max Pacioretty, in getting them two-year deals after the expiry of their entry-level contracts?
Or is it to lock Subban up now for the long-term, potentially saving some money on a long-term deal he'd be looking for after the expiry of a short one?
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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