The easy candidate is Josh Anderson. He was the one who had it when Gallagher was scratched last season, and in the playoffs, he has proven that he can be the guy who leads his teammate into the physical battle. However, he only has one year left on his contract. He’ll be entering the seventh and final year of the 7-year pact he signed with Marc Bergevin, which carries a $5.5 million cap hit. Will the Canadiens decide to keep him around beyond the upcoming season? That’s far from guaranteed. If some of the Habs prospects, such as Florian Xhekaj, progress as expected and make their mark on the team, he, too, could become surplus to requirements.
