For the time being, that mock roster does not contain any pending UFAs, so no Derek Forbort, no Pius Suter, and, most importantly, no Brock Boeser. That leaves a rough top-six of Elias Pettersson ...

But there’s an argument that Montreal should hang on to its veterans and pending UFAs to try to make a push for the playoffs, even the ones other teams may want. This writer could not disagree ...

For contenders, it’s all about going into the postseason on a roll, and many are not thinking about pending UFAs or future contracts. For non-contenders, free agency and extensions are at the ...