Canadiens' Vanek: Top priority on July 1 is winning
The world is his oyster...kind of.
With the Montreal Canadiens picking up the pieces following their surprising run to the Eastern Conference finals, impending free-agent sniper Thomas Vanek cleaned out his locker and spoke about his future with the club.
Vanek said he feels the Canadiens could win, and they could be an option for him. Whether the feeling is mutual remains to be seen.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014
Thomas Vanek said his top priority on July 1 is winning. Was asked about Minny and simply said he lives and trains there.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014
Vanek, who notched 15 points in 18 regular season games with the Habs, struggled to find his game for long stretches during the playoffs, and was eventually demoted to the fourth line.
Vanek said he's not injured, just never found any chemistry once he was removed from top line. Lack of shots was due to lack of chemistry
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014
The 30-year-old former All-Star also lamented his lack of chemistry with jack-of-all-trades centerman Tomas Plekanec, saying "I feel we're both good players, we just weren't on the same page."
Despite his uneven postseason performance, Vanek will no doubt be one of the most coveted unrestricted free-agents on July 1.