Wideman for 2 more years

[Willie Dog]

Just tank baby

www.nhl.com/canadiens/news/two-year-contract-extension-for-chris-wideman/c-334490472

[Tankdriver]

It's basically for the minimum (762,500 per). It won't hurt the team and we need some veterans.

[frozone]

I actually kinda like having Wideman as a depth option. And beyond bringing leadership, 27 points in 64 games is nothing to sneeze at. For minimum salary, it'll be hard to find better.

The more surprising thing is that he actually wanted to come back here after a disaster of a season. I guess the MSL effect is strong.

[Cranky]

As long as he's seen as a disposable asset and doesn't clog up the young ones, fine.

[NWTHabsFan]

A placeholder for that depth spot while the kids develop. League minimum with a slight raise in year two means he can be buried in minors if absolutely needed. He seems to really like it in Montreal. Decent productivity but will never be mistaken as a stout defender in his own zone. He also seems to have a great attitude, which is never a bad thing when a team is near the bottom of the standings (hey Petry?). Way better than Clague and Niku in terms of keeping depth guys.

This seems to fit in keeping some vets temporarily during a couple of rebuilding years while the young prospects earn their stripes and get acclimatized to the pro game. Allows MSL and HuGo not to rush a rookie into an NHL spot right away if it looks like they can use some development time in Laval, even if it is not for the whole season.

This move seems to align with HuGo’s overall strategy/plan for the rebuild. No big downside to me as he can easily be buried if need be and he definitely won’t be the missing piece that artificially gets the Habs into a playoff spot before they are truly ready.

[NWTHabsFan]

This is kinda cute. Definitely the influence of Chantal in the top VP Comms role of making the players seem more human and relatable to the fans as opposed to the rather secretive, closed approach of the old regime.

[Willie Dog]

Jun 6, 2022 9:48:25 GMT -5 NWTHabsFan said:

This is kinda cute. Definitely the influence of Chantal in the top VP Comms role of making the players seem more human and relatable to the fans as opposed to the rather secretive, closed approach of the old regime.

I would agree with you

[folatre]

This is not a problem. As you guys alluded to, it is a depth signing and if need be the contract can move to Laval with no cap ramification.

Weidman seems like a popular dude on the team. Granted, his defending is shoddy, more due to his size than his effort or IQ. Also, I would not deem it necessary to anoint him power play quarterback because, to be perfectly honest, he was here all season in 2021-22 and Montreal had a bottom three power play in the league.

If one was to read the tea leaves, I would still assume that Hughes may sign another RHD (no, not Letang) when it becomes clear that Petry can, in fact, be moved in a net positive way for the club. I mean, Savard, Barron and Weidman would need some additional cover on the right side.

[habsorbed]

Only thing the guy brings is attitude. He's seems like a good guy, good interviews and sense of humour, and was never shy to go at it with an opponent despite his small size. So the kids can learn from his attitude. But he is barely a top 6 NHLer at either end of the ice. If he plays top 4 or on first unit of PP, we will have another great draft pick next year.

[seventeen]

A very good "Dial-A-Tank signing. Good enough to spell a developing guy like Barron or Guhle should they need a few weeks in Laval, but not so good that he's going to hurt your chances at Bedard etc.

[Boston_Habs]

I don't think people appreciate just how bad our blueline is. This is a good signing.

[seventeen]

I appreciate it. Disappointed that Boston fired Cassidy today. I guess Sweeney needs to blame someone to avoid having his own head lopped off. It's an aging team, patched together with UFA's. It won't be long before they're looking at contract problems. It makes me think they're tanking next year.

[HFTO]

Nothing not to like about a guy who likes it here is liked and won’t rock the boat no matter how many time he laces it up.

That should be our only UFA signing….call it a day Kent.

HFTO

[PTH]

Jun 6, 2022 20:05:12 GMT -5 HFTO said:

Nothing not to like about a guy who likes it here is liked and won’t rock the boat no matter how many time he laces it up.

That should be our only UFA signing….call it a day Kent.

HFTO

Nah, he'll want to patch up a few gaps in the lineup.
We might want to see kids, but giving Barron, Guhle or Harris 1st unit PP will hurt their development.

Plus, a few 1-year deals means a few more assets to rent off come deadline time. It's a great way to build up assets quickly. And with the flat cap, there might well be more players willing to sign 1 year deals, hoping the cap goes up and they can get a longer-term deal in summer 23 or 24.

[habsorbed]

Just sign PK for two years for a few million and let him show the kids how to perform charitable work in the community. That would be some good player development!

[Cranky]

Where's the beef?

I'm waiting for July 13. I want to see Chiarogt back at a reasonable 3 year and Price/Weber resolved.

This Wideman signing is just donut filler.

[seventeen]

I'm confident Hughes is committed to the Michkov/Bedard sweepstakes. Whoever they take this year (probably Wright) should be a good to very good player, but not a superstar. That's next year, so It would be really silly to try to actually improve the team right now. The point has been made (by MSL and by Hughes) that development is critical and takes precedence over winning (at least at this time). Wideman is a marginal NHL player, but adequate for our needs (right now). I doubt there will be any UFA signings of any quality at all. They might go for a 3rd/4th line guy who is all heart and soul type and can be a mentor for the kids, but won't have much impact on the win/loss column. I think the kids will actually get a fair shake at training camp, at least the more mature ones. I see a defense to start the season of:

Savard/Romanov
Barron/Edmundson
Guhle/Harris (with Harris playing the right side as he did most of his NCAA career)

Spares: Wideman, Norlinder

I can also see some flux in those pairing. There will be stretches where Barron, Guhle and maybe Harris (though less likely) will struggle and Wideman and Norlinder will get their chances.

Naturally, this line-up pre-supposes that Petry is traded and there may be some high character, low term guy coming back or being signed during the summer. Subject to change .

While I'm at it, here's the rest of next year's roster

Ylonen - Suzuki - Caufield
Hoffman - Dvorak - Anderson (until they are all traded)
Drouin - Wright - Gallagher (that will be a fun line)
Poehling - Evans - Armia (just filling in here)

I suspect Poehling eventually ends up on LW and Evans gets injured a lot, so that line too is subject to change. Armia may well be traded, but if he plays like he did in the WC, that too could be a fun line.

Goal is a question mark. I'm not touching that one, but if Price is out (and I'm guessing that will be the case) I can live with some combination of Monty, Allen and Primeau. Just guessing here, but I can see Allen being moved over the summer to a team that needs goalies badly (Edmonton, Colorado, Toronto). Just hand over those first round picks, folks;

You know, the forwards aren't that bad, though there is a lot of youth and they'll make mistakes (hopefully) but learn from them and get better. By the end of the year, even if we're low in the standings, we will be able to see a much better team than started the season. Ok, I've had my fun. Anyone next?