Friedman Praised Canadiens’ Front Office In Latest 32 Thoughts Episode
· Yahoo Sports
In the final episode of the popular 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman had some high praise for the Montreal Canadiens’ brass. Speaking about the Atlantic Division franchise and how it was bounced from the Eastern Conference Final with Kyle Bukauskas, the Sportsnet insider said:
Size, I kind of wonder if a guy like Ristolainen [Rasmus] might end up in Montreal, but you know, we’ll see where that all goes. I think they’re a very progressive front office in the sense that they say, "We identify something we like, and we go out and get it." This is going to be a good team for a long time.- Friedman on the Canadiens.
While that comment may not reflect what we’ve seen from the Habs’ front office this offseason, it hasn’t been for lack of trying. Kent Hughes has been very active, relentlessly working the phones in hopes of improving his roster.
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It has transpired that Columbus Blue Jackets player Kirill Marchenko was a player they were very interested in and that they made an offer for him, but Don Waddell has made it clear that he doesn’t intend to trade the big winger right now.
It’s also interesting that Friedman would mention Rasmus Ristolainen’s name in that conversation. The 6-foot-4 and 208-pound right-shot blueliner has been linked to the Canadiens more than a few times in the past, but nothing ever came of it. The Finn is already 31, and by the time the season starts, he’ll be nearing 32. While he does have a big body, he doesn’t always play like it.
In 44 games this past season, he only landed 48 hits. Once upon a time, he was a very physical blueliner, landing 230 bodychecks in 66 games in 2021-22. Since then, though, that number has steadily declined: 162 hits in 74 games in 2022-23, 56 hits in 31 games in 2023-24, 97 hits in 63 games in 2024-25, and 48 this year, as previously mentioned. It should also be noted that he has played only 138 of a possible 246 games over the last three campaigns due to injuries. Considering the Canadiens already have a blueliner who’s injured more often than they would like in Kaiden Guhle, one can wonder just how wise a move it would be to go for the big Finn, right-shot or not.
He currently has just a year left on his contract and has a $5.1 million cap hit. Could he be used as a placeholder if the Canadiens cannot find a more permanent avenue? Perhaps, but it certainly shouldn’t be seen as Hughes’ top option, especially if David Reinbacher looks good at training camp. The Habs’ GM has always been clear that getting older players and hindering his youngsters' development wasn’t an option he would favour.
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