Montreal Gearing Up For Pivotal Off Season

After another disapointing season in Montreal, where they finished near the bottom of the league again (31st place), fans have begun to wonder exactly how long this rebuild is going to take. While the future looks bright, how long will it take for that future to arrive? We met with General Manager Matthew Wills to discuss whats next for the original six franchise.

Thank you for taking the time to sit down with us today. Another year in the books and another season near the bottom of the standings. Fans understand that this is a rebuild but they're beginning to wonder when its going to end, can you give us any insight on the future of this franchise?

It's fair for fans to want more and to want to see the on ice product improve quickly, I get that, but we need to be patient here and not make any hasty decisions. One thing they can look forward to next season is an infusion of high end youth into the lineup. Guys like Slafkovsky, Eklund, Benson, and Drysdale are all expected to turn pro.

Out of those names you mentioned, is there any particular one that fans should be excited to watch?

They all have an exciting nature to their game but I'm going to say Juraj Slafkovsky. He's a monster out on the ice and will only improve with each passing game. We have a special player with that one.

Are there any plans to insulate these players with some veterans that can help ease the load on these guys?

If it makes sense for us, we already have players like Tarasenko, Kuraly, and Mantha doing that but we could definitely use one or two guys on the back end to help take some pressure off there.

There were rumours that Montreal was open to adding players at this years trade deadline, is there any truth to that?

We had discussions yes but obviously nothing came of it, more checking in to see what asking prices were on certain guys we liked. Some we may circle back on this off season but only if it makes sense.

Why not accelerate the rebuild and trade off pieces you feel like your team may not need to get a difference maker?

Hey I would love to get out of this rebuild as soon as possible but we need to be smart, I can't trade a guy like Matt Savoie for an aging veteran that won't be with our team longer than 3-5 years.

The draft lottery is any day now, what's going on in your mind as you wait for the draw to officially be announced?

I try not to put too much thought into it, if luck is on our side it's fantastic for our organization and if it's not...we'll still have a top 4 pick guaranteed so it's just another piece to the puzzle for our deep prospect pool.

Any chances we see a draft day trade?

It's very possible for this draft. We have tiers for players so once we find out where we are we may move back, up, or just stay put. A lot of that rides on what other GM's are thinking.

Thank you for your time and good luck in the off season!

I appreciate that and I appreciate the fans for being so patient, it will be worth the wait.