NHL free agency: 5 teams who should sign Matt Duchene
3. Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are primed to have a big offseason. They have quite a bit of cap space and most of their roster has been filled out. This means the Canadiens can be extremely specific about who they pursue. Duchene is someone Montreal has had their eyes on for a while now and, yes, they’ve been linked to him recently.
During the 2018-19 season, the Canadiens only had three 20 goal scorers. That was tied for 18th in the NHL, which puts them as a below average team in that regard. It’s worth noting, though, that Andrew Shaw had 19 goals and Jonathan Drouin had 18 goals.
Duchene’s 31 goals would have placed second on Montreal, trailing only Brendan Gallagher‘s 33. The Canadiens have a number of centers, so on paper, maybe that means they shouldn’t sign another center. However, Duchene has experience playing at wing too. Plus, as they say, you can never have too many centers.
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Also, the Canadiens might have a number of quality center options. But they don’t have a number one center. Duchene would give the Canadiens a franchise center, something they haven’t had in quite some time.
Finally, Montreal has the cap space to bring him in. And they certainly have the cash as well. That said, I believe the Canadiens are going to focus on trying to sign Jake Gardiner because they need a left-handed defenseman who can move the puck. But don’t be surprised if they wind up signing Duchene.