Report: Canadiens sign Karl Alzner to 5-year deal

The Montreal Canadiens bolstered their blue line by signing longtime Washington Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner to a five-year deal.

Heading into free agency, the Montreal Canadiens knew defense was a position that needed to be addressed. They didn’t help themselves last offseason when they traded their best defenseman for an aging Shea Weber. But prior to free agency, they lost Mikhail Sergachev and Nathan Beaulieu in trades.

Karl Alzner was far from the top defenseman in this year’s free agent class, but he was a player the Canadiens had their eye on. Alzner is a fifth overall pick, and has spent his entire NHL career with the Washington Capitals. While he was a fan favorite there, his play was starting to decline. It got to the point where he was getting benched during their series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

While the Canadiens have yet to make it official, we should assume that the Alzner deal is done:

Marc Bergevin knows he’s on the hot seat after last year’s controversial offseason. He didn’t help his own cause when the Canadiens got bounced in the first round while P.K. Subban came within two wins of a Stanley Cup.

He may have bolstered the team’s scoring by acquiring Jonathan Drouin, but that could be offset if they end up trading Alex Galchenyuk. And even after signing Alzner, that doesn’t make up for the losses of Sergachev and Beaulieu. Carey Price can only cover up so many of their mistakes.

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Canadiens fans had better hope that this is part of something even bigger. Bergevin has really started to test the patience of his fanbase. Even on the off chance that Alzner revives his career in Montreal, they’ll still need to get more help on the blue line. Given that they’ve been the most active team in the offseason so far, besides Vegas, the Canadiens are likely far from done.