The Montreal Canadiens had plenty of cap space all season long and opened up more on the eve of free agency. Trading Andrew Shaw to the Chicago Blackhawks for a trio of draft picks and sending Nic Deslauriers to the Anaheim Ducks for a fourth round pick only gave them more financial freedom.
All told, the Habs had at least $15 million to use on free agents. There were plenty of great free agents available, and many more good ones that were paid like great players. That’s the nature of the game when you jump into the frenzy on July 1.