Summer 2025: Sidney Crosby, the most “realistic” quality option for Kent Hughes

It’s August 1st, back-to-school month and the return of regular programming on the airwaves.

Is this a joke, Tony?

Unfortunately not…

August is usually a very quiet month for Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton, Vincent Lecavalier and other members of the Montreal management team.

In 2022, Hughes acquired Sean Monahan on August 18.

In 2023 (August 6), the same Hughes sent Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick to Pittsburgh in return for Jeff Petry, Casey DeSmith and Nathan Legaré, before finding (once again) a new team for Petry nine days later. Norman Flynn found out in early September, but hey…

Thats’it.

If the past is any indication of the future – and if Marc D’Amico’s information is correct – the Habs could theoretically complete a Sean Monahan or Jeff Petry deal in the next few days. Otherwise, it’s likely to be very quiet until the rookie camp opens in mid-September…

So, no, the Habs won’t have added a big free agent to their roster this summer, even though Kent Hughes dared to say it was going to be his most important summer as GM of the Habs.

In reality, the most important summer will be the next one. That’s 11 months from now, when Hughes and his gang will truly turn the corner on rebuilding and start focusing more on winning than developing. Until then, we’ll have to wait one last year…

I know, there are the taxes, the pressure, the language, the health system, the potholes, the media, etc….

But since Kent Hughes proved once again this week that he can work magic, let’s see if one of the top 10 unrestricted free agents whose current contract expires on July 1 might decide to sign in Montreal. Even if it might cost a little more than elsewhere…

Note that I’ve only considered the UFAs on the attack for the purposes of this exercise, since on the blue line, I consider the Montreal roster to be fairly complete.

1. John Tavares. 34 years old, center, current contract $11 million per year
Tavares is unlikely to stay in Toronto, unless he takes a huge pay cut.

His contract may be too big, but Tavares is still capable of producing between 65 and 80 points per season.

However, I can see him leaving Canada and heading for a quieter American market. A market where taxes won’t be chasing him…

2. Mitch Marner. 28 years old, right winger, current contract $10.9 million per year
Mitch Marner is a hockey player through and through. He has his faults, like everyone else, but he knows how to rack up the points. Especially in the regular season…

Except that I don’t see how Marner can reach autonomy on July 1. He’ll either re-sign with Toronto… or be traded to another team looking to make Marner part of its core.

Either way, it doesn’t resonate with Montreal…

3. Leon Draisaitl. 29 years old, center, current contract $8.5 million per year
This guy is one of the top five players in the entire NHL. Stan Bowman and the Oilers won’t let him go for nothing. Like Marner, Draisaitl will either extend his contract in Alberta or be traded to another team that will offer the Oilers the moon.

Unlike Marner, his chances of extending his contract are excellent.

4. Mikko Rantanen. 28 years old, center/wing, current contract $9.25 million per year
A veritable machine for producing points and hitting opponents, Mikko Rantanen would tick every box on Kent Hughes’ grocery list.

The problem is, I don’t see the Avalanche letting Rantanen go. Especially with all the uncertainty surrounding Landeskog and Nichushkin. Next!

5. Sidney Crosby. 37 years old, center, current contract $8.7 million per year
Sid has said it many times: he’d like to finish his career with the Penguins.

Recently, rumors have suggested that he’d really like another chance to win the Cup, and that since that chance was most likely not going to happen in Pittsburgh, he was going to evaluate the option of leaving Pennsylvania.

However, we’ve since learned that the chances of him extending his contract with the Pens are quite high.

If Crosby ever does leave Pittsburgh, there are two cities to keep an eye on: Denver and Montreal. Joining his friend and fellow Nova Scotian Nathan MacKinnon will always be enticing for Crosby, but the idea of playing for the legendary Montreal franchise has always intrigued him.

It’s a bit crazy to say it, but Crosby is the player whose chances of coming to play in Montreal are the greatest so far.

A couple of years in Montreal, Sid, as the club turns the corner on its rebuild?

The charms of the Montreal organization have been many since the arrival of Hughes and Gorton. Could this be enough to convince the best player on the planet during the 2010-2019 decade?

6. Brad Marchand. 37 years old, center, current contract of $6.13 million per year
Forget it! Even if Marchand does leave Boston, he will NEVER come to Montreal.

No need to waste time on that this morning…

7. Brock Boeser. 28 years old, right winger, current contract $6.65 million per year
Only 28 years old…

73 points including 40 goals last season…

Rumors that he has no intention of extending his career in Vancouver…

6’1 and 208 lbs…

Brock Boeser would be quite an acquisition for the Habs.

But before the 2023-24 season, Boeser had a few problems and never produced more than 56 points in a single campaign. The 2024-25 season will remove (or add) some of the uncertainty and fuzziness surrounding Boeser. And we’ll be in a better position to know how much money a Brock Boeser is worth…

8. Taylor Hall. 33 years old, left winger, current contract $6 million a year
Taylor Hall has never lived up to expectations (first overall).

In 2023-24, he scored just four points in 10 games with the Blackhawks, while in 2023-23, he scored 36 points in 61 games with the Bruins.

Something happened to Hall when he hit 30. #Injuries #Production

Unless you can get him at a big discount, I wouldn’t tempt the cost.

9. Nikolaj Ehlers. 29 years old, left winger, current contract $6 million per year
Some reports have suggested in recent months that the Habs might be interested in the Jets forward.

Ehlers, a 6’0 , 172-pound Dane, scored 61 points in 82 games last season. It’s far from a given that he’ll stay in Winnipeg, and he’d be a great option for the Habs.

But Ehlers is exactly the kind of player a GM will overpay for on July 1, not knowing whether his new investment will be able to repeat the feats of his best (recent) season once he’s on the roster.

Barring a trade for his services, I personally wouldn’t touch Ehlers (once July rolls around).

10. Brock Nelson. 33 years old, center, current contract $6 million per year
Leader…

6’4…

69 points including 34 goals in 2023-24…

75 points including 35 goals the previous season…

Brock Nelson is going to be expensive… and no longer a youngster.

As much as I’d love to see him land in Montreal to surround the younger players for the next phase, I’m thinking that spending $8 or $9 million a year for his services could come back to haunt the club for years to come.

That being said, Nelson could be a candidate for an improved offer for one or two seasons only. Like $10 million a season for two years…

That would still be a lot of money, wouldn’t it?

The other options are Claude Giroux, Frank Vatrano, Ryan Johansen, Yanni Gourde, Jason Zucker, Mikael Granlund, Gustav Nyquist, Robby Fabbri and Patrick Kane…

For X or Y reasons, I don’t think the Montreal solution lies in the above-mentioned names.

The best option therefore remains Sidney Crosby, even if the odds of seeing this dream scenario unfold remain relatively low.