Marc Bergevin may be tempted to offer a professional tryout to three intriguing players
With NHL teams' training camps just days away, many unrestricted free agents are still looking for work. As we've seen in the past in Montreal, Marc Bergevin is often tempted to offer a professional tryout to intriguing players.
German forward Tomas Fleischmann is an excellent example. The winger had convinced the Tricolore's staff to give him a one-season contract and it paid off in the end. Fleischmann had accumulated 20 points, including 10 goals, in 57 games with the Habs before being traded along with Dale Weise to the Chicago Blackhawks in return for Phillip Danault and a second round pick in 2018 that became Alexander Romanov. This management turned out to be a stroke of genius, in the end.
This season, three players could be offered a professional tryout by the Habs! This is all speculation, of course, but it would make a lot of sense.
Tyler Bozak :
The 35-year-old American center could come in and add his experience to a young Habs center line. Ryan Poehling and Jake Evans will likely battle for the third center spot, but a little internal competition never hurts. Bozak spent the last three seasons with the St. Louis Blues, with whom he won top honors in 2019. He may not be a point-producing machine, but he still has gas left in the tank, hence his 17 points in 31 games last year in a secondary role. Plus, there are a few faces he would be familiar with, as he has played with current Habs players including Mike Hoffman, Joel Edmundson and Jake Allen.
Sami Vatanen:
If the Habs were to start their season today, you could easily see a hole at the blue line on the right side. Joel Edmundson should play with his inseparable Jeff Petry, while Alexander Romanov should play with David Savard. Who will play with Ben Chiarot? Chris Wideman, or Brett Kulak? When Vatanen is at the top of his game, it's not a stretch to say that he would be a better candidate to round out the Habs defense than Wideman or even Kulak. Vatanen is a fragile defenseman, but very useful offensively. He could help with the power play and the offensive rebound, two things that hurt the Habs last year. He is known as a purely offensive defenseman. Don't expect more from him, especially when it comes to defending his territory...
Of the three candidates, this one is probably the most interesting in my opinion. The American center is only 25 years old and has great offensive skills. He had a total of 20 points in 50 games last year with the Sharks, but that wasn't enough to convince the team to make a qualifying offer. Donato could be used as the Habs' third center, as he has not been given a chance to shine since joining the NHL. Like Bozak, he could compete for a center spot with the likes of Poehling, Evans and Paquette. Donato would be making his fourth NHL appearance after playing the first 180 games of his career with the Bruins, Wild and Sharks, with whom he had 77 points.
