Habs sign free agents

[simmer2]

The Habs have signed the following free agents over the past 3 weeks:

Phil Oreskovic - 21 year old defenseman who played 10 games with the Leafs and saw 18min of icetime each game. Fit in fairly well and has the possibility at cracking the team full time next year as a 5/6 d-man.

MacGregor Sharp - Anaheim signed this 22 year old NCAA Div 1 player to a contract and the head NCAA scout for the Ducks said he was one of the top Div 1 players in the country.

Johan Backlund - 27 year old goalie signed by Philadelphia as their likely backup next year. He got claimed by the Avs...oh well.

Brad Thiessen - Named ECAC Top Player, and is one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker award. Signed a 2-year deal with the Penguins recently. You can never have too many goalies.

Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll - 20 year old player from the QMJHL had an outstanding season posting 104 points. The Avs have a pretty bare prospect cupboard, so this guy will be given a decent chance at a job.

Some of these guys may never amount to anything, but if even one of them cracks the NHL full time, it was worth the investment.

[simmer2]

The Habs have likely finished off their free agent signing spree by inking Francis Pare to a 3-year, $0.75mm deal. Pare is a Red Wings prospect who as a rookie had 23 goals and 24 assists for 47 points in just 61 GP. This is only 4 points behind Abdelkader (he played 13 more games), a highly regarded prospect. Pare played no PP or PK time either, so next year he could really improve his point total.

Pare was also a +22, best on the entire team.

We look forward to seeing Pare develop into a legit NHL player.

[OILFAN #81]

Originally Posted by simmer2

The Habs have likely finished off their free agent signing spree by inking Francis Pare to a 3-year, $0.75mm deal. Pare is a Red Wings prospect who as a rookie had 23 goals and 24 assists for 47 points in just 61 GP. This is only 4 points behind Abdelkader (he played 13 more games), a highly regarded prospect. Pare played no PP or PK time either, so next year he could really improve his point total.

Pare was also a +22, best on the entire team.

We look forward to seeing Pare develop into a legit NHL player.

Nice signing. We had put in a request as well for this player right after the Wings had signed him.

[simmer2]

Originally Posted by OILFAN #81

Nice signing. We had put in a request as well for this player right after the Wings had signed him.

Thanks. After I saw your note yesterday, I kinda figured that was who you were trying to sign. I honestly didn't know much about the kid until I read the press release.

[simmer2]

After some moves in the off-season and a few more signings, the Habs have completed their free agent acquisitions. Some guys got traded, while one of them got claimed. This is what we have left in our system:

Phil Oreskovic - 21 year old defenseman who played 10 games with the Leafs and saw 18min of icetime each game. Fit in fairly well and has the possibility at cracking the team full time next year as a 5/6 d-man.

Brad Thiessen - Named ECAC Top Player, and is one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker award. Signed a 2-year deal with the Penguins recently. You can never have too many goalies.

Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll - 20 year old player from the QMJHL had an outstanding season posting 104 points. The Avs have a pretty bare prospect cupboard, so this guy will be given a decent chance at a job.

Francis Pare - Pare is a Red Wings prospect who as a rookie had 23 goals and 24 assists for 47 points in just 61 GP. This is only 4 points behind Abdelkader (he played 13 more games), a highly regarded prospect. Pare played no PP or PK time either, so next year he could really improve his point total. Pare was also a +22, best on the entire team.

Carson McMillan - Former Hitmen had a breakout year this year and was rewarded with a contract by the Minnesota Wild. A good character player that could fit in well with the likes of Clutterbuck.

Alexander Salak - Signed a 2-year deal with the Florida Panthers after absolutely playing on his head night in and night out in the Finnish elite league. Played for TPS, the goalie-machine team that has turned out the likes of Kiprusoff.

Trevor Smith - 2007 free agent signing by the Islanders put in a really solid year in the AHL last year and saw 7 games with the Isles. Considering the Islanders depth and lack of well, anything, he could very well be a surprise to make the team this year.

Matthew Hackett - The #1 ranked North American goalie according to CSS rankings, he could go as high as the late 1st round this year, but we expect him to be picked up somewhere in the 2nd round. Still good value considering he'll be among the Top 3 chosen for goalies in this year's draft.

We are pleased to welcome these prospects to the fold and wish them the best of luck in their development.