Breaking: Former Habs player says the Canadiens are preparing a “hostile” offer sheet.

I think a lot of general managers in the National Hockey League just tensed up quite a bit at the sound of this news. 

According to a rather stunning report from former Montreal Canadiens enforcer turned radio host George Laraque, his sources within the organization have informed him that the Montreal Canadiens are preparing what he has describe as a "hostile" offer sheet. This would appear to indicate, at least to me, that the Montreal Canadiens are looking to flex their cap muscle in an effort to pry one of the top restricted free agents this summer away from their current team. 

Since leaving the team Laraque has taken his radio gig on with full vigor and has already broken a number of stories, specifically as it pertains to his former team. It would come as little surprise to learn that a guy who earned a living protecting the guys in his dressing room has endeared himself to a number of players throughout his career, but now it is not just George Laraque making this noise either. 

Although he did not mention any organizations by name TSN National Hockey League insider Darren Dreger is now reporting that there is a feeling around the National Hockey League that teams, yes that is teams plural, are preparing offer sheets today. This would of course be a huge departure from the norm in the National Hockey League, but perhaps the damn has finally broken and we will begin to see offer sheets used more liberally by organizations trying to attract top young talent. 

"There’s a genuine sense around the league a few clubs are strongly considering an offer sheet on Marner, Aho, Connor and perhaps, others," wrote Dreger on Monday morning. "If no deal or an offer sheet doesn’t materialize get ready for a long wait and potential stalemates."

Toronto Maple Leafs' forward Mitch Marner, Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastien Aho and Winnipeg Jets forwards Kyle Connor are the pick of the litter here and if anyone is going to receive an offer sheet I would fully expect it to be one of these 3. If I had to handicap the odds of which player being the most likely to be targeted, I would put my money on either Aho or Connor. The Hurricanes and the Jets simply do not have the kind of financial that the Maple Leafs have, and I believe that this makes their respective players far more likely targets for an offer sheet at this time.