5 Players the Montreal Canadiens Would Make Available in an NHL Expansion Draft

Over the summer, there were reports—such as this one by the CBC—that the NHL is considering expansion in the very near future. Toronto, Seattle, Las Vegas and Quebec City have been named as the most likely destinations for new teams. 

The league, of course, denied these claims, with Gary Bettman calling the reports a "complete fabrication" in an article published on ESPN.com. 

Regardless of whether the talk of expansion is true, it still brings up an interesting topic of discussion: the expansion draft. 

It remains to be seen how a possible expansion draft would work in the future, but it's safe to assume that a team would have to let at least five players go. 

So who would the Habs keep, and who would they let go if there was an expansion draft today? 

Taking into account their current roster and things like contracts, skill and potential, here are the five players the Montreal Canadiens would make available in an NHL expansion draft. 

Rene Bourque

Francois Lacasse/Getty Images

Rene Bourque

Rene Bourque is the most obvious candidate to be made available by the Montreal Canadiens in an expansion draft. 

It's not because he doesn't have the talent, it's just that he's so frustratingly inconsistent. 

Since being acquired by the Canadiens back in January of 2012, Bourque has scored just 21 goals in 128 regular-season games. To put that number into perspective, he has scored 11 goals in just 27 playoff games with the Habs.

He has also scored 27 goals in a single season. In fact, he did that twice, with the Calgary Flames, in 2009-10 and 2010-11. 

So there's no question that he can score, but as a Hab, he just can't seem to string together the consistency needed to be an important part of the team. Not until the playoffs, at least.

Add to that the fact he's making $3.3 million a season and Montreal would surely allow him to be drafted by an expansion team. 

Peter Budaj

Francois Laplante/FreestylePhoto/Getty Images

Peter Budaj

Peter Budaj is still a very valuable member of the Montreal Canadiens. He's a leader and plays the role of a backup goaltender perfectly, keeping the Habs in the game when Carey Price is given a much needed night off. 

But there are three things working against him that would make him expendable. 

First, there's the fact that Budaj seems to falter when forced into the No. 1 job. This is a big reason why he was passed over during the Eastern Conference final last year. Price does get hurt from time to time, and the Canadiens need a backup goalie who can play well for multiple games in a row.

Second, his contract is a little pricey. At $1.4 million, he's making a little too much for a guy who is a clear backup to a workhorse. 

Third, the emergence of Dustin Tokarski. His performance during the playoffs last season proved to everyone that he's ready for the NHL. He came up clutch on the biggest of stages, proving he performs well under pressure.

He also makes just $550,000 this season, making him a lot cap friendlier than Budaj. 

The Canadiens players and fans would all be sad to see Budaj go, as he's a very likeable player who has served the team well—but there are too many things working against him to keep him protected in an expansion draft. 

Travis Moen

Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images

Travis Moen

Travis Moen is the definition of an NHL role player. He fits in perfectly on a third or fourth line, plays hard every night, hits, forechecks and kills penalties.

Unfortunately for Moen, that type of player is a lot easier to come by than a 20-goal scorer, meaning that type of player is often made available in an expansion draft. 

The 32-year-old is still an important depth forward for the Montreal Canadiens. He appeared in 65 games last season and registered 12 points, 49 penalty minutes and a plus-two rating. He was also second on the squad among forwards with 2:44 of short-handed ice time per game. 

But when general managers are forced to let players walk, they let guys like Moen go as it's much easier to find a similar player on the open market.

Just look at how easily Bergevin picked up Dale Weise last season (in exchange for Raphael Diaz, who was shipped off by the Vancouver Canucks just one month later for a fifth-round pick).

The Canadiens would be losing a solid bottom-six player in Moen, but it's a move that would have to be made in an expansion draft.

Mike Weaver

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Mike Weaver

Let's begin by stating that, just like Travis Moen, Mike Weaver is a very important piece of the Montreal Canadiens hockey club. But, again, not everyone can be kept in an expansion draft, and there are a couple of reasons why Weaver would not be protected in such a scenario. 

The first is simply because of numbers. In an expansion draft, teams will usually be forced to let a certain amount of forwards, defensemen and goaltenders go. 

On the back end, Montreal would definitely keep P. K. Subban, Andrei Markov and Alexei Emelin. Those three are the core of the defense. They would also protect Nathan Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi because of their age and top-prospect statuses. 

Then there's Tom Gilbert, who according to Stu Cowan at Hockey Inside/Out, is currently paired with Andrei Markov in camp. That would make him a top-four defender. He's also expected to get time on the second power-play unit, and he's also signed to a longer contract than Weaver (two years for Gilbert, one year for Weaver).

That makes Weaver the odd man out.

The Canadiens would surely love to protect all of their defensemen, as it would give them the best chance of winning. But in an expansion draft, that just isn't possible. Mike Weaver would be made available simply by a process of elimination. 

Brandon Prust

Elsa/Getty Images

Brandon Prust

The fifth and final choice is tough, and one that would certainly have Marc Bergevin scratching his head. With Bourque, Moen, Weaver and Budaj already let go, the Canadiens would most likely be looking at releasing another forward. 

It wouldn't be another goalie, and as mentioned in the previous slide, the other defensemen are just too valuable to let go. 

So looking down the depth chart, we see a few possible candidates in Brandon Prust, Dale Weise, Manny Malhotra and Michael Bournival. 

Malhotra probably stays because of the role he's set to play. He's going to take important faceoffs, kill penalties and be the steady, fourth-line center the Canadiens did not have last season.

Even though he's a restricted free agent at the end of the season, Bournival likely stays because of his age and potential. Montreal likes his speed and energy level, and barring a major breakout, he should be cheap to re-sign at the end of this season. 

That leaves us with Brandon Prust and Dale Weise, two players who are likely to flank Malhotra on Montreal's fourth line this season, as reported by Stu Cowan at Hockey Inside/Out. 

The pair are very similar hockey players. They're tough, gritty, physical grinders who can surprise from time to time with their scoring touch around the net. Neither is afraid to drop the gloves or come to a teammate's defense. 

So what separates the two? It's their contracts.

Weise is signed for the next two seasons at just $1.025 million per season. Prust is under contract for the same term, but he makes more than twice as much at $2.5 million per year.

Bergevin would have to think long and hard about his final player to let go, but he would make his decision after a long process of elimination that came down to the players' contracts. Prust would be the one to go.