The end of trading is approaching in mid-February and is only a few weeks away. Where does each team stand and what steps should they take? We continue our look at the league with the Montreal Canadiens.
This season should be another transitional season for Montreal after it last ended in 2021-22. While the team has a few more points than some might have expected, it remains a team in the midst of a rebuild, so it went as planned.
What hasn’t gone as planned is her injury situation. The Canadians are currently lacking numerous regulars, including a pair of veterans who have been considered their most important trade item. A return to action for these players in the next ten days could put them back on the radar, but otherwise it could potentially be a much quieter deadline for them than they initially anticipated.
Record
23-29-4, 8th in the Atlantic
deadline status
Salesperson
Deadline Cap Square
$4.54M in LTIR relief, 0/3 retention slots used, 46/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming draft picks
2023: FLA 1st, MTL 1st, MTL 2nd, MTL 3rd, MTL 4th, PIT 4th, VEG 4th, CGY 5th, MTL 5th, MTL 6th, MTL 7th
2024: MTL 1st, COL 2nd, MTL 3rd, MTL 4th, MTL 5th, MTL 6th, EDM 7th, MTL 7th
Montreal also has Calgary’s 2025 first-round election, which due to a number of conditions could carry over to 2024 if it finishes 20-32 and the Canadians choose to do so. The transfer could last until 2026.
Trading chips
all season long, Sean Monahan was an expected trading chip. When he’s healthy, he’s an able center six who can play both the power play and penalty shootouts. The problem is that staying healthy was a problem. He suffered a foot injury in early December and was originally only due to miss a couple of weeks but is now two months and counting. If he can play again, there will be some suitors as long as Montreal can keep 50% of his $6.375 million AAV. However, it’s likely that the draft pick on offer will be a little lower than the Canadians had originally hoped, and it would be wise if they tried to introduce a condition based on games played. Should that be the case, GM Kent Hughes could reverse the script and try to negotiate a short-term extension with the 28-year-old.
Experienced defender Joel Edmundson has also been in trading speculation for some time. He’s not a temp as he has another year on his contract with an AAV of $3.5 million, a reasonable price for someone who can log 20 minutes a night. His physicality and penalty-killing ability would also be appealing, as would his playoff experience, which includes two runs to the Stanley Cup Finals since the 2018-19 season. However, he has been struggling with recurring back injuries and that will likely deter anyone from giving up on a strong return unless they are able to return to action soon and are no worse. This could be a situation where Canadians choose to keep him for the next year and try to get a better return on him than rent.
Montreal also has a few expensive rental veterans Evgeni Dadonov ($5.5M) and Jonathan Drouin ($5MM) that they are ready to move. Dadonov was traded on deadline last season, but the deal was ultimately rejected due to his no-trade clause and he went to the Canadiens instead Shea Weber‘s contract last summer. He’s struggled this season (despite picking up seven points in his last 12 games) and at best they’d be looking at a late-round pick with paycheck. Drouin finds himself in a similar situation, struggling to net the puck. He scored his last goal on January 1, 2022. However, he has a dozen assists in his last 14 games.
Regarding other forwards with maturity that could go, Mike Hoffman ($4.5M by next season) and Joel Armia ($3.4M by 2024-25) are players they would likely be willing to transfer. However, with them being signed beyond this season, it seems more likely that any move they could make would be a sideways swap for a similarly priced deal, not one to necessarily add parts for their rebuild.
Other potential trading chips: f Paul Byron (LTIR contract), D Chris Weitman
team needs
1) Young goalkeepers: Carey PrizeGame days are pretty much over and they have an NHL tandem that isn’t the best. In the prospect pipeline Cayden Primeau has garnered attention, but he’s no guarantee of becoming an NHL goaltender. The Canadians have some late-round picks that are doing well at the lower level, but they’re still a few years away. A prospect a little closer to NHL readiness would fill a small gap in his prospect pool.
2) AHL Help: With Montreal missing so many players at the moment, their organizational depth will be tested. If they pull out some veterans, roster slots will need to be filled, and if those are covered by players who are currently in the minors, those slots will need to be refilled. (Alternatively, they might agree to take back some departing veterans and keep their current players in the lower ranks.) This isn’t a huge priority in the grand scheme of things, but since the Canadians don’t have a lot of high-value trade chips and the likelihood of their heavy lifting being in instead taking place during the off-season is something they can realistically aim for in the next few weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
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