Canadiens Could Pluck 2018 First-Round Pick On Waivers

Four players became available for the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, including the 16th overall pick at the 2018 Draft, Martin Kaut.

In addition to Kaut, Tyler Benson (Edmonton), Kevin Rooney (Calgary), and Ryan Carpenter were also placed on waivers.

Victor Berglund (Boston) was placed on unconditional waivers with the purpose of terminating his contract.

Placed on NHL waivers today: Kevin Rooney (CGY), Martin Kaut (COL), Tyler Benson (EDM) and Ryan Carpenter (NYR).

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) December 8, 2022

Habs Angle

Kaut is a 23-year-old winger that has spent his entire NHL career within the Colorado Avalanche organization.

In 38 NHL games since 2019-20, the Czech forward has scored 3 goals and 3 assists.

Though he didn’t produce much while playing primarily on the Avalanche’s fourth line, his play in the minor leagues indicates some potential worth investigating.

Kaut has three points in two games with the Colorado Eagles this season, putting his career AHL production at a relatively healthy 94 points in 165 games.

To give you an idea of how often Kaut hits the scoresheet in the AHL, his scoring pace of 0.57 points per game is a little higher than current Canadiens prospect Anthony Richard’s production rate while playing in the minors (0.53).

Kaut is described as a winger who possesses a healthy 6’2″ frame, and despite having some red flags in his skating, particularly when it comes to his first few strides, he does possess relatively decent high-end speed.

As recently as 2019-20 he was considered one of the most encouraging young players in the Avalanche’s prospect pool.

He’s in the last year of his entry-level contract, and it’s worth his contract slid n his first two years of eligibility. If a team were to claim Kaut on waivers with the goal of keeping him on their roster next season, the qualifying offer would be just $874,125.

With the mounting injuries for the Canadiens, not to mention the holiday roster freeze on the horizon, the Canadiens may be interested in yet another reclamation project, especially since a change of scenery did wonders for other players on the roster, such as Kirby Dach and Sean Monahan.

Kaut was rumoured to be among the players the Canadiens were interested in when they traded Artturi Lehkonen to the Avalanche at the 2022 trade deadline for a second-round pick and Justin Barron.

Barron, who is clearly the Laval Rocket’s best defenceman, ended up being the better player. Still, now the cost of acquisition has fallen significantly, the Canadiens could be interested in circling back on the Kaut dossier.