Montreal Canadiens are closing in on a towering defenseman from a western powerhouse
Jeremy Lauzon could hit the open market this summer, and at least one voice in Quebec already knows where he should land: the Canadiens' third pair.
Analyst Marc-Olivier Beaudoin made the pitch Saturday. If Vegas doesn't re-sign Lauzon, who becomes a UFA, he's the guy Beaudoin wants in Montreal next season.
His scouting report was vivid. Twenty-nine years old, 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, handing out hits like Halloween candy and throwing his body in front of pucks.
That's a specific kind of player, and it happens to be the exact kind Montreal has hunted all offseason.
Look at the pattern. The Ristolainen near-miss, the Knies pursuit, and now Lauzon. Kent Hughes keeps circling size, weight and snarl.
The clip stapled to the pitch sells it, Lauzon stepping up at the line to flatten a forechecker, then dropping to eat a shot moments later.
At 29 years old, 6'3" and 225 pounds, he dishes out hits like candy on Halloween, blocks shots, clears the crease in front of his goaltender, and plays on the penalty kill. As a bonus, he's from Quebec.
I have no idea what kind of contract he'll be looking for, but if he's still available on July 1, I hope Kent Hughes gives his agent, Pat Brisson, a call to see what's possible.
He's coming off a four-year contract with an average annual salary of $2 million, but he'll obviously be in line for a raise on his next deal.
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Lane Hutson needs a bodyguard, and Lauzon plays the part
Here's the on-ice logic. Montreal scored its way to 106 points behind a blue line that moves the puck beautifully and hits almost nobody.
Lane Hutson piled up 78 points as a 22-year-old. He is the future. He is also generously listed and gets targeted every time he touches the puck. Skilled defensemen like him need a deterrent two stalls down the bench.
Lauzon is that deterrent. His stat line, 13 points and a minus-3 over 68 games, tells you nothing, because his job was never to score.
The price is the prettiest part. Lauzon played this season on a $2 million cap hit, and third-pair muscle rarely costs much more than that on the open market.
For a team carrying real money up front, a cheap, mean depth defenseman is the definition of a smart shopping trip.
There's a delicious wrinkle too. Lauzon is in the Stanley Cup Final right now, and he's the same defenseman William Carrier appeared to hurt himself checking in Game 3. The man invites contact for a living.
Here's where I land: this is the most sensible Montreal name floated all week, and it would barely dent the cap.
The hold-up is simple. Vegas might just keep him. Pending free agents have a way of never reaching July, and the best targets vanish first.
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 6, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mitch Marner | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brayden McNabb | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Martinook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jackson Blake | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Karlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jaccob Slavin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||