Acquisition: four defensemen, including a surprise, linked to the Montreal Canadiens by a former employee of the organization

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Elias Adaime
May 27, 2023 (8:47 PM)

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As we know, the summer of 2023 will be a very busy one for the Canadiens' management. Not only will they have the draft session to prepare for, but also the team's composition for the 2023-2024 season.

If in his first summer Kent Hughes was rather quiet on the unrestricted free agent market, it might be a completely different story this year. As reported by a former Canadiens employee, a defenseman we'll see in the Stanley Cup finals could very well come to Montreal during the offseason.

Marc Dumont, who was an employee of the Canadiens and now works as a reporter for Montreal Hockey Now, has suggested four right-handed defenders who could balance the right side of the defense corps, as the majority of the defense pillars are left-handed.

Among the four proposed free agents, we find the names of John Klingberg, Damon Severson, Kevin Shattenkirk, and a certain Radko Gudas.

Yes, the same with whom Arber Xhekaj had a run-in during a Canadiens game against the Florida Panthers last season.

Without wanting to delve back into these stories, Gudas could be a great catch for Kent Hughes as he could bring a new dimension to the right side of the defense with his rugged style. Let's just say he's not afraid to rough up the opposition.

At 32 years old, he was earning $2.5 million last season, but he could very well see an interesting salary increase due to his team making it to the Stanley Cup finals.

However, the Canadiens do have talent on the right side with David Savard and Justin Barron, and it's quite possible that Logan Mailloux could make it to Montreal next fall. This leads me to believe that Kent Hughes might pass on the Panthers' defender.

Let's not forget Jonathan Kovacevic who proved to be a pleasant surprise last year. At less than $800,000 per season for another two years, he represents a great deal.

But I still have to ask you the question about the detestable defender from the Panthers.