GM Kent Hughes is already facing a barrage of questions over the offseason, despite the Canadiens concluding their season with 106 points on a 48-24-10 record.
In the middle are Oliver Kapanen and Adam Engstrom.
“THE PARTICULAR INSTANCES OF OLIVER KAPANEN AND ADAM ENGSTROM”
I am simply considering the matter and lack any particular information regarding these two athletes. But what does the future hold for Oliver Kapanen and Adam Engstrom, given the Canadiens are looking to add a defenseman and an offensive center to their roster?
– Martineau, Anthony
Kapanen’s regular season was good. 82 games, 22 goals, 37 points, and a +4 rating for $925,000. For a young forward, that is a fantastic number at a low price.
However, a different story was revealed in the playoffs. Scoreless for seven games, went -2. And if the last segment of the regular season was any clue, the drop-off started even earlier. Over his last 10 games, he was held scoreless and went -3.
Whether Kapanen can play in the NHL is not the question. It is evident that he can. Where is the question?
For the time being, that’s fine because he has mostly been employed as a third or fourth-line winger. However, if he can’t push into a bigger role, the Canadiens are starting to create the sort of team where his body type would feel out of place. Is he centered? Is he able to do so? That’s not a light discussion.
Engstrom’s chances of making the squad are limited and getting slimmer.
This season, Engstrom only played 15 games. +2, 1 assist, 1 point. In the postseason, he didn’t even put on a uniform.
He moves the puck, he skates well, and he is 22 years old. However, consider what is already present on the blue line in front of him. Lane Hutson had 78 points in 82 games during the regular season. $9.5 million is what Noah Dobson is signed for. Kaiden Guhle, David Reinbacher, Jayden Struble, Michael Matheson, and Arber Xhekaj are all competing.
That’s a lot of left-side defenders competing for two or three spots. Engstrom fits a specific profile, and it’s a profile the Canadiens already have depth at. Adding a right-shot defenseman this summer would compress that locker room crunch even further.
Kent Hughes has decisions to make. Not every young player who shows promise in the system is going to get the runway they need in Montreal right now. The Canadiens are close enough to winning that roster space has real value.
Kapanen at $925,000 and Engstrom at $896,667 are manageable cap numbers. But cap hit isn’t the conversation. Lineup fit is.
The harder question is whether Martin St-Louis sees both players as part of the next chapter, or whether one of them gets moved to create space for a different kind of move.
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