So the reports of Gabriel Dumont’s demise were greatly exaggerated then.
Good, I like that guy, best of luck to him.
MAY 30, 2015 AT 11:58 PM
Gabriel Dumont denies that the Canadiens have told him he won’t be getting a contract offer. He says that Marc Bergevin and his agent haven’t really talked about a new contract, but that the GM has bigger fish to fry right now, and that he has lots of time to make a qualifying offer.
Personally, if I had a do-over, instead of importing Brian Flynn and Torrey Mitchell for the Bottom 6, I’d give the little Bulldog a chance. Right-handed shot, can play centre, undersized but doesn’t play small. Maybe a new version of Mike Keane?
Again, as many have during his tenure, Gabriel praised Marc Bergevin in a phone interview on TVASports for the courteous, professional way his negotiations were handled. He said that the Canadiens could have given him the minimum qualifying offer, but they were "very fair" with him. I guess they rewarded him for his length of service and the fact that he was the captain of the Bulldogs last year.
As far as Morgan Ellis, he's been out of the limelight since he graduated to the AHL, after finishing his CHL career with a Memorial Cup win with the Cataractes de Shawinigan. His transition has been difficult, with a few lengthy injuries, and some time in the ECHL. He's also been overshadowed by sexier prospects like Jarred Tinordi, Nathan Beaulieu, Greg Pateryn and the mercurial Magnus Nygren.
Since he's had little impact, some thought that the Canadiens might walk away from him, to allow more focus and development time on other prospects with a greater likelihood of making the NHL.
I certainly have fretted that we have too many righties on the blueline, there's not enough minutes, not enough powerplay and penalty kill opportunities for everyone.
But we're not up against the 50-contract limit, we're not forced to fish or cut bait, so Morgan was given another contract, a one-year two-way deal. Maybe he just was retained so he could be flipped later on for another similar asset we have a greater need for. Like a forward.
But it's also likely that Jarred, Nathan and Greg will all stay up with the Canadiens this year, since they're all waiver-eligible, the team won't risk sending them down and losing them to another team.
Also, Magnus Nygren has signed a contract to play in the Swedish league, so that leaves Morgan as the veteran prospect, the more experienced guy, maybe that's a role he's destined for this season. Sure, the team might/will probably sign some veteran AHL journeymen to pitch in, but maybe Morgan can carry that load, help the newcomers like Brett Lernout and (maybe) Josiah Didier.
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