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The Canadiens announced tonight that Josh Anderson has signed a 7-year contract with a $5.5. M cap hit. This is the longest deal Bergevin has ever given to a forward since taking the helm of the Habs back in 2012. The deal also includes a modified no trade clause which contains the following terms: in years 2 to 4, Anderson submits a list of 8 teams he cannot be traded to. In years 5-7 he submits a list of 5 teams he cannot be traded too.
I’ll be honest, I though Anderson would cost less money. His last contract paid him $1,850,000 per season, he was injured for most of his contract year and he has just landed in Montreal. I’m frankly surprised to see Bergevin give so much term when there are a lot of unknowns. How will Anderson perform in the Montreal pressure cooker? Will there be chemistry between him and his new line mates? Can he find his scoring touch back? Is his shoulder really all better?
That being said, he does feel a need for the organisation. He is a big body, he plays just as big as he is, he can put the puck in the net and he can stand-up to opponents and fight. The Habs finally have a power forward! Rejoice Habs fans! The cap hit, while a little high, is at least not higher than Drouin (currently the highest paid Habs forward), which means Bergevin can stick to his word and make Gallagher his highest paid forward when he manages to sign him to an extension.
This probably also means that the Canadiens won’t be very active tomorrow, with $5,368,691 left in cap space and some players left to sign (Mete, Ouellet and Hudon) and the fact that the GM rarely spends to the cap. The good thing is though, Bergevin has been very active this off-season and he’s addressing needs one after the other. If he is to address the scoring need though, it’s more likely to come through a trade than through the free agents market.