Who Will The Montreal Canadiens Use Their Last Retention Slot On?
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period was on TSN Radio in Montreal and was asked about the Montreal Canadiens last retention slot and who they could use it on.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Host: “Other things that Canadiens could do. Could the Canadians talk about possibly retaining salary in a deal to get something else, or are they one of those teams that can do that?”
Dave Pagnotta: “Yeah, they have one slot left, I believe. One retention slot left. So they’ve got to be strategic in this regard, too, with respect to how do they maximize the return. Because (Jake) Allen and (Jeff) Petry are still on the books for this season, then they come off in terms of retention. So they have one slot left. Do they want to use that for (Joel) Armia’s $3.4 (million)? Do they want to use that for (David) Savard’s $3.5 (million)?
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Can they find a suitor and a decent enough return to make them pull the trigger on a move for (Christian) Dvorak and his $4.45 million cap hit? So they’ve got to kind of juggle to see what makes the most sense for them. I think they’re willing to do it. They’re willing to eat that spot. They just have to figure out which of those three, or maybe somebody else makes the most sense for them right now, before the deadline.”
Is Christian Dvorak Actually in play for the Montreal Canadiens?
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period was on TSN Radio in Montreal and was asked about Christian Dvorak. Could he stay with Montreal Canadiens, or will he be a player on the move along with Joel Armia, David Savard, and Jake Evans?
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Host: “All right, so talk to me about Christian Dvorak. At 29 years old and you mentioned the $4.4 (million), UFA. We have our TSN 690 master trade bait board up here of the locations (Jake) Evans, (Joel) Armia, (David) Savard could go and the morning show has (Christian) Dvorak in Minnesota or Columbus. But Gallo and I just have him staying with the Habs. Is there interest for a player like Dvorak, or is that someone that will get a phone call after a team struck out three times and then they come to Montreal seeking something? Is Dvorak, is there a possibility that he just stays or can the Canadiens even move him?”
Pagnotta: “I think there’s a very good chance he stays because of production plus, plus cost, right? Like that cap hit, he’s a lot more attractive at $2.2 million than $4.4 (million). So that’s what the Canadiens would have to weigh out. And it’s also a matter of, okay, it’s not just we’ll eat half of that deal, but why? What are we getting for that? What are we getting for the player?
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And then what are you putting on top of it, to have us use our last retention slot on this guy, versus another trade where the return might be better and likely will be better for an Armia up front, for Evans up front, even though they won’t need to retain on him.
I would be a little bit surprised, because of all of that, if he’s moved, and a guy like Armia isn’t, for example. I’m expecting, quite frankly, Evans, Armia, and Savard to be on the move, and Dvorak, it would have to be situational. But based on either Montreal retaining or a third party retaining. And for a player like Dvorak right now, the way he’s played this season, to get another team in the mix, I don’t know if the cost of acquisition is worth it for the team getting him.”
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