Kind of hard to say it's a terrible signing while most don't think so.....but it is a terrible signing.
Not that Deslauriers doesn't deserve it, not that Deslauriers is a terrible player.
It's a terrible signing mainly cause it show that Bergevin didn't learn anything.
FIRST
This team has giant holes to fill and every dollars should be thrown at those holes and then you start signing those kind of depth player. What was the rush to sign him today, why not wait until the last week of June where you can evaluate what's out there on the UFA market to fill those holes?
You might say it's just $1M but that amount would have kept Radulov here last season. With those holes, every assets should be directed there first.
SECOND
Pacioretty, Drouin, Galchenyuk, Gallagher, Shaw, Lehkonen, Hudon, Byron, Scherback, Deslauriers
That's 10 wingers under contract for next year. There's 8 spots on a hockey team.
As of now, there's not even room for him. There might be, but MB could've sort this out FIRST and then sign him.
He could and should have wait after the draft cause the way things are going, we have strong chance to add another NHL-ready winger at the draft. That's 11 wingers....and i'm not even counting Carr or McCarron or any other prospect in the mix.
THIRD
As many, many, many move made by Bergevin......this stinks the typical "positive" publicity stunt.
Things are going terrible, TDL is in one week and Bergevin will have to face the medias.
Deslauriers is the flavor of the month and he's another local player and loved by many.
Do the Habs needed to sign a #10 wingers at this time of the year? Absolutely not. No team really need to sign a 10th winger especially midseason, especially a 4th liner.......but most of Habs fans liked it, the french medias loved it and that's why he got sign today.
Deslauriers at $950 000 isn't bad, but i look at the wingers available for next year.....I don't even put him in the line-up unless there's injuries or unless 2 or 3 of them are traded AND that's if we don't draft Tkachuk, Svechnikov or Zadina.