Thomas Vanek’s strange Montreal Canadiens tenure is easy to forget
Remember when Thomas Vanek played for the Montreal Canadiens? It was 2014, and the Canadiens became buyers at the trade deadline while in the midst of a playoff push. For years, Vanek was the face of the Buffalo Sabres, but with his contract set to expire after the 2013-14 season, he was traded to the New York Islanders before the season. Vanek found tremendous success in his new home, saying that playing with John Tavares and Kyle Okposo was the best line he had ever been on. On the ice, Vanek’s play spoke for itself. He had 17 goals and 27 assists in 47 games, but the honeymoon period would not last long.
After it was announced that the Islanders would be leaving their home arena of 43 years, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, for the Barclays Center, Vanek made it known that he wanted no part of it. It was reported that Vanek turned down a seven-year, $50 million contract extension, citing the relocation as the reason. With Vanek’s departure from the Islanders in free agency becoming increasingly likely, the team opted to trade him before the trade deadline, trying to recoup some of the assets they paid to get him just five months earlier.
Vanek looked great in Montreal during the regular season
Vanek’s trade came down to the wire on trade deadline day. It was reported that no team was willing to pay what the Islanders wanted for Vanek, but with GM Garth Snow not willing to lose him for nothing in free agency, they struck a deal with the Canadiens in the final minutes before the 3 pm deadline. The Canadiens sent forward prospect Sebastian Collberg and a second-round pick to the Islanders for Vanek and a fifth-round pick. The Canadiens needed extra goalscoring, and that was what Vanek did best. His tenure with the Canadiens started a little shaky, recording just one assist in his first five games with his new team. It took some time for Vanek to get going, but he showed Habs fans what he was capable of in their next game against the Colorado Avalanche.
With the Canadiens down one after the first period, Vanek finally found the back of the net, tying the game almost halfway through the second period. He was not done there, though. With the score tied at three in the third period, Vanek broke the deadlock with just over five minutes remaining. He sealed the win for the Canadiens just three minutes later, recording a hat trick after struggling to produce any offence in his first five games. For the rest of the regular season, Vanek was crucial for the Canadiens, recording 11 points in the team’s final 12 games. Vanek was great in the regular season, but during the Canadiens’ playoff run, he left the organization wanting more.
Vanek looked like a shell of himself in the playoffs
Vanek was his usual self in the regular season, producing at nearly a point-per-game pace, but his playoff performances left fans frustrated. He was actually good in the Canadiens’ opening-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, recording a point in three out of the four games as the team won four straight. In Montreal’s next matchup against the Boston Bruins, Vanek scored in bunches. He scored two goals in Game 2, an assist in Game 3, and added two more goals in Game 6, but was a ghost in the other games. His struggles really emerged in the Canadiens’ Eastern Conference Final matchup against the New York Rangers. Vanek finished with just two assists in six games, as the Canadiens fell to the Rangers in six games in the series that will always be remembered as the “What-if Price did not get hurt” series.
Vanek finished the playoffs with 10 points in 17 games, a significant drop-off from his 15 points in 18 during the regular season. He had just five points while at even strength during the playoffs. He went from a no-doubt re-sign candidate for the Canadiens to GM Marc Bergevin not offering him a contract extension, letting him leave in free agency to sign with the Minnesota Wild. Vanek brought excitement to Montreal when he was first acquired and showcased his talent in the regular season, but disappeared in the playoffs, making his acquisition one of the weirder trades in Canadiens history.
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