Late on Day One of NHL free agency, a small handful of sizable veteran wingers signed moderately priced contracts in new hockey destinations - Antoine Vermette landed back with the Coyotes, Justin Williams ended up with the Capitals and Matt Beleskey became the next in a long line of big, bad Bruins.
What do all three players, now headed to different NHL climes, have in common?
They were all at one point or another pursued by the Montreal Canadiens and GM Marc Bergevin during the first eight hours or so of free agency.
The Habs were reportedly amongst the teams to push hard for Williams, the former King, after it became clear the market wasn't going to garner the type of hefty deal it had in the past for a veteran forward with his resume.
"The Montreal Canadiens also tried on Williams, getting in late when GM Marc Bergevin sensed the price going down, but they can afford to be patient in a buyer's market and will find a bit of offense at their price," ESPN's Pierre LeBrun reports.
Williams, the three-time Stanley Cup-winner wound up in Washington on a two-year, $6.5 million deal.
Meanwhile, TSN NHL Insider Darren Dreger is reporting that the Habs and Bergevin also pursued both Vermette, a player they were linked to repeatedly prior to the NHL trade deadline in March, and Beleskey, a former mostly unknown who parlayed a career-year during a contract season into a big free agent contract.
Per Dreger, via Chris Nichols, Bergevin and the Habs were "definitely in on" Vermette, who ended up back with the 'Yotes on a two-year pact, and "were on Matt Beleskey's list," though he was unsure to what degree negotiations developed.
Beleskey, of course, wound up with the Bruins on a deal that carried a longer term than most expected - five years - but an AAV of just $3.8 million.
In the end, it's often the deals not made that define a team as much as the ones that are made. Acquiring more-potential-than-man power forward Zack Kassian in trade with the Canucks certainly added the size the Canadiens were said to be enamored with bringing onboard, but it won't cure all that ails a diminutive Montreal team.
Fortunately, as LeBrun notes, Bergevin and Co. can afford to be patient with a market that certainly seems to be shaping up to favor buyers.
