Canadiens Should Sign Dustin Byfuglien:

Recently, on April 17th, Dustin Byfuglien’s contract was inevitably terminated. The turmoil began on September 12th, the eve of the start of the NHL training camp, when Byfuglien told the Winnipeg Jets he was not committed to playing hockey this year. Leaving the Winnipeg Jets organization empty-handed for the season with short notice, Byfuglien’s uneven relationship with the team came to a close after seven months of uncertainty. Fortunately for NHL fans, one thing was clear:  Byfuglien did not want to play in the NHL for the 2019-20 season, despite being under contract. Although we know that Byfuglien did not want to play hockey this year, there is no clear evidence regarding Byfuglien’s true state of mind. Did he not want to play for the Winnipeg Jets? Or, did he not want to play hockey in general? As a result of such ambiguity, NHL general managers may be reluctant to sign such a player with no evidence of commitment from the player. Regardless, when playing, Byfuglien’s talent is undeniable and he is considered a top ten defensemen when last seen on the ice. As a result, as long as  Byfuglien’s wants to play hockey again many teams should be interested. One of these teams should be the Montreal Canadiens:

Last week, in a one on one conference call with Sportsnet’s Eric Engels Habs Defensemen Ben Chiarot had good things to say about the thirty-five year old defensemen. Chiarot explained that Byfuglien was “a very hard working guy” and said that despite his unwillingness to play hockey this year, his work ethic was apparent when playing. Chiarot even went on to explain that the defensemen was similar to Canadiens goalie Carey Price in demeanor. If anyone in the NHL is being compared to Canadiens goalie Carey Price, it should be seen as a compliment. Especially, since Chiarot was explaining how Byflein was similar to Price’s highly praised demeanor and calmness while playing the game. Ben Chiarot as a former Winnipeg Jet would love to have a familiar face in the Habs locker room.

In the NHL, the second most coveted position as a player, besides center, is a right-shot defensemen. Even though the Habs already have Jeff Petry and Shea Weber on that side, adding another physical and skilled defensemen on that side would definitely scare opponents. The Habs have been in some type of mediocrity for the past few years. They cannot seem to get over the hump with their core players getting older. Adding a perennial defensemen who is great defensively, and offensively would definitely help the mediocre Canadiens, specifically with his big shot on a notoriously bad Canadiens power play.

The Montreal Canadiens seem to love big, strong physical defensemen. Both General Manager Marc Bergevin and Assistant General Manager Trevor Timmins are fond of these types of players. Marc Bergevin went out last summer and signed former Winnipeg Jet  Ben Chiarot: a big strong, physical defensemen. Bergevin who was a similar type of defensemen in his days on the ice loves to sign these types of players. Similarly, Trevor Timmins loves to draft physical defensemen as seen when he drafted both Alexander Romanov and Cale Fleury who both have physical assets to their game.

Despite the fact that he has not played in a year and is in his mid 30's, he can still add a lot to the Habs blue line. Even if there is a significant drop off in his game, the physical and defensively sound elements to his game will still be very exploitable for a team like the Canadiens.

The Canadiens need to improve drastically this offseason to help them even garner consideration as Stanley Cup contenders. If they can add former all star defensemen Dustin Byfuglien to a short term contract, it would certainly help their Stanley Cup aspirations .

Sources: https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/qa-part-2-canadiens-ben-chiarot-dishes-teammates-weber-price/