5 free agents the Canadiens can sign to get back to playoffs

1. C John Tavares

Tavares is one of the biggest fish in the NHL free agent pond this offseason, and arguably in league history, at a prime age (27) with a history of production (621 points in 669 games) and five All-Star Game nods on his resume.

The New York Islanders would love to bring Tavares back, but they’ll have lots of competition for the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft. With a non-playoff season barely in the rearview mirror, and close to three months before free agency officially starts, Tavares is in no rush to decide what he’ll do while re-stating his desire to stay with the Islanders.

"I’ve got to take some time to see how things go over the next few days and few weeks and collect my thoughts and move on from there,” Tavares said. “I think I’ve earned the right to take my time. I don’t know if it will be a week, two weeks, a month, two months, I don’t really know. A lot of those scenarios and hypotheticals are things that I haven’t thought about or looked towards. I’m just still kind of realizing it’s over and kind of sinking in that the season’s done. That’s still kind of what’s fresh on my mind. “You don’t know how many opportunities you get to get to this point and possibly see what the landscape is. I don’t even necessarily know if that’s really what I want to do yet. I’ve always stated how much I love it here. It’s emotional either way. Great organization, great place to play. Obviously, I want it to work out here."

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The Canadiens are an easily rumored suitor for Tavares, as he’d fill a long-standing need for a legit No. 1 center. If it comes down to clearing cap space to help bring Tavares to Montreal, it can be done without issue.