NHL Free Agency: Montreal Canadiens sign Alexander Radulov
By David Rouben
Days after trading for Shea Weber, the Montreal Canadiens reunited him with Alexander Radulov.
The Montreal Canadiens sent shockwaves around the league when they traded a 27-year-old P.K. Subban for an aging, and on-the-decline, Shea Weber. But now that they’ve accepted that Weber is their new cornerstone on defense, they decided to reunite him with an old friend in Alexander Radulov.
Alexander Radulov has signed with Montreal.
— Travis Yost (@travisyost) July 1, 2016
Having played in the KHL since 2008-09, he was up for grabs, and he’s still very much an elite goalscorer. Just last season, Radulov scored 23 goals and 65 points in 53 games. But the optics of this signing look horrible.
Dealing P.K. Subban was Montreal’s way of saying that he had an attitude problem, but then they turn around and sign Radulov, who makes Subban look like Mr. Rogers? If there’s any team he would’ve been a perfect fit for, it would be the Las Vegas team.
I 👏🏻 THOUGHT 👏🏻 YOU 👏🏻 GOT 👏🏻 RID 👏🏻 OF 👏🏻 PK 👏🏻 FOR 👏🏻 HIS 👏🏻 BAD 👏🏻 ATTITUDE 👏🏻 WHY 👏🏻 IS 👏🏻 RADULOV 👏🏻 HERE 👏🏻
— Elyse (@ElyseBee) July 1, 2016
Radulov certainly addresses an offensive need for Montreal, but the chances that he’ll get along with anyone outside of Shea Weber are slim. Fishing the KHL for talent worked last year with the Chicago Blackhawks and Artemi Panarin, but he was a young player with lots of upside. Radulov is a loose cannon, and could very well be on the decline.
It’s a high risk move, but it could potentially be high reward. But there’s also a good chance that Radulov will be Alex Semin all over again. Habs fans better hope their front office knows what they’re doing with this.
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