I'm not usually an advocate of spending for the sake of spending, which is why I tend to look at the opening day of free agency and the trade deadline with trepidation.

However, I also believe that teams should do everything in their financial means to ice a winner, and when it comes to the Canadiens, those means are quite substantial.

Right now, with a roster that's seemingly set heading in to the start of training camp next week, general manager Pierre Gauthier has a shade under $4 million in salary cap space still available.

There's nothing wrong with entering a season with some wiggle room, but $4 million is far more than that.

Admittedly, improvements have been made in terms of the team's depth, and the remaining unsigned free agents are not exactly difference-makers.

But there are proven, veteran players out there that could be useful to this club, and with the available money simply sitting around, the question is why not sign one or two of them?

First off, at this stage in the game, no guarantee of a roster spot needs to be made, and an offer of the league minimum salary would likely be accepted. If the players don't make the team, they can collect that NHL salary in the minors, while the Canadiens would have to take the cap hit if the player was 35 or over when he signed the contract. But at least they would be in the system.

If they do make the team, an argument could be made that ice time was being taken from a younger player. But if that younger player gets beat out for that ice time by a veteran, doesn't the team benefit? And isn't the young player forced to work that much harder to win his spot back, thereby benefitting him as well?

Players like John Madden and Mike Grier, who each led their respective teams' forwards in shorthanded ice time last season, would appear to fill a potential need in that area for the Canadiens. There's Brad Winchester, all 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds of him, who could serve a purpose after scoring 10 goals and dishing out 171 hits in Anaheim, second on the team only to Ryan Getzlaf. Someone like Cory Stillman would add another Stanley Cup ring to the mix while serving as an emergency option on the power play. Even Mike Modano hasn't fully committed to retiring yet and would bring a good dose of leadership.

On defence, possibilities include Bryan McCabe, Chris Campoli, Anton Stralman and some other aging veterans.

None of these names, or the others on the list of remaining free agents, will make fans excited in September – but they could prove useful in the coming months if injuries hit or certain players fail to perform.

However, the possibility exists they will no longer be available when that need arises.

The Boston Bruins recently invited Chris Clark to their training camp on a tryout basis, and he accepted. It's a no-risk proposition for the Bruins to see if the former Capitals captain could potentially help them this season.

The Canadiens are in a position to do the same thing by grabbing a veteran or two on a one-year deal at a low salary. I fail to see a good reason why they wouldn't.