Agree that Anderson would receive a lot of attention if retained, but its unlikely top happen this year with Allen and Petry already in. Last retention slot must be used on Dvorak (4.45), Armia (3,36) or Savard (3,5).
All theses guys will be target
Dvorak: Top 10 NHL faceoff
Armia: Numerous Top 10 even top 5 in defensive stats
Savard: Defensive RD a major need around the league
Question still legit. If Anderson could bring back a 1st, I wouldnt hesitate the retention on him
This is really the long and short of it.
Habs are most likely far better off just using that last retention spot this year on one of those three "deadline chips" who
will all have suitors, or at least teams kicking the tires on what they'd cost at max retention. There's also Evans in the mix, who teams who are
extremely tight to the cap could come calling on, as he could be retained down to practically nothing at all. Whichever of those scenarios maximizes the return on deadline chips the most, is what makes the most sense for the Habs at this point.
There's also potentially some similar situations next year, especially if the Habs go out and sign some "temp veterans" to flip again. Though next year's deadline, potentially even the summer is where retention on Anderson starts to look more viable if the return is right. Especially as those other retention slots open back up.
If the Habs are gonna burn their last retention spot this year on Anderson, it's because somebody badly wants 3 playoff runs with him and sees significant value in that. At which point...the cost of that, and the cost to outweigh an extra, or better pick/prospect on one of those other 3-4 guys,
plus the ability to still retain on Anderson next year at some point for still 2 full years, or 2 playoffs...starts to push into that 1st Round territory easily, in order to make it worthwhile for Habs. Not that it'd necessarily be "worth it" to other teams to make that deal...but there's a sort of minimum "moving off it" price to get the Habs interested, when they simply do not have any immediate or expiring need to move Josh Anderson.
