Canadiens Give White Another Chance but Not as Reclamation Project

Coincidentally, White had obviously been claimed off waivers from the Pens earlier that day. And, while it wasn’t as flashy of a start with a new organization as one might hope generally speaking, it was about as flashy as one was going to get from a fourth-line forward. After all, that’s in effect what White is, despite him having scored an impressive 41 points in 2018-19 as a 22-year-old, resulting in a rich six-year, $28.5 million deal with the Ottawa Senators.

White Catches On with Canadiens

That deal was only scheduled to run out in 2025. However, by virtue of White’s production falling off a clip from that point on, the Sens bought him out in 2022. He’s spent the last few seasons bouncing from team to team on one-year deals, unable to find a new home. It makes sense to a degree Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes, his former agent, would take him on then, at least at a more palatable $775,000 cap hit, before he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer at Age 27 (per CapFriendly).

This is in effect as low-risk of a transaction as you can get in the NHL. To summarize: White is someone with whom Hughes is incredibly familiar, on an expiring, cheap contract. Keep in mind White is playing on the fourth line and was only really acquired as a body. The Canadiens need those now as a result of an ongoing injury crisis. When it comes down to it, that’s the only reason to make this acquisition, nothing more, nothing less.

Irrefutably, White is still in his supposed prime and a former first-round pick (No. 21 overall in 2015) to boot. However, be careful to add the almost-mandatory “high-reward” label one might generally be tempted to, to acquisitions similar to this one. Is there a chance White suddenly rediscovers what made him a young forward on whom ex-Senators general manager Pierre Dorion was eager to bank long term?

Canadiens Send Gignac Down

Sure. Never say never, but reality-check time: To make room for White, the Canadiens waived Brandon Gignac. Gignac was (and still is) leading the Laval Rocket in scoring when Hughes traded Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets in early February, prompting a need for someone to fill in… the hole at the bottom of the lineup, as everyone else moved up a rung.

So, the Canadiens signed Gignac to an NHL contract, when he had been exclusive to the American Hockey League (AHL) prior to that point. Cue the whispers suggesting Gignac can develop into a full-timer, especially after he scored his first-ever goal four games into his Habs stint, even though the first of those games came five years after the 26-year-old’s last NHL appearance.

There’s nothing wrong with hoping, even hoping aloud, that players like Gignac can suddenly make it after years of failing to. However, in this context, it was always inherently unlikely. It’s arguably unlikelier with White, because to a certain extent Gignac was an unknown. White’s already had his chance(s). At this point, his ceiling should be crystal clear, and not because it’s made of glass ready to shatter.

White Hits His Ceiling with Canadiens

Objectively, the 41 points White scored in his career season were okay, but hopefully just the start of something greater. It’s not like White ever enjoyed top-line production over an entire campaign. We’re talking lower top-six only. Things obviously only went downhill from there, all due respect to White. So, if losing Gignac to waivers is no big loss, when he’ll no doubt help the Rocket in their playoff push (safely assuming he doesn’t get claimed), there’s no good reason to grow attached to White, especially on an expiring contract.

The term “reclamation project” gets thrown around a lot. White isn’t that. White is an established bottom-six forward who has played more in the AHL than the NHL this season. If White were a reclamation project, he’d have enjoyed sustained success at some point in his career up to now, and he hasn’t.

With that, White’s more so just a player who can help in a niche role. Seeing as the fourth line was generally buzzing against the Penguins, at least early on, he might have found it. However, considering the goal for which he was on the ice only came about because he turned it over in the offensive zone (after which Kris Letang turned it right over again to Mike Matheson, who would go on to score)? Keep those aforementioned expectations you might have had heading into his Canadiens debut vs. the Pens low.

Hughes did seemingly claim White for a (few) reason(s). It allows the Canadiens to send Gignac back down to help the Rocket, with whom he’s simply better suited to make a difference. White is again also a player with whom Hughes is already familiar. So, why not?

White’s draft pedigree/hypothetical upside is probably about the last item on that list. It’s on there in some capacity, but, if all parties involved are being honest with themselves, it probably factored in less than the fact White’s contract is expiring. There is simply no commitment here, making it more of a no-lose situation than the cliched low-risk, high-reward one. If anything, it’s low-risk, low-reward. That’s something… just nothing about which to get excited.