Should the Habs be in the trade market this early in the season?

October 30, 2024

The Montreal Canadiens ended their third week of play in the 2024-25 NHL season with a 4-4-1 record, a .500 clip that has them tied with several other teams for third place in the Atlantic Division. But the third week also saw the Habs smack dab in the middle of trade rumour speculation.

Pierre LeBrun (TSN, The Athletic) reported GM Kent Hughes was looking to shake up the roster a little and was calling teams to see who was available. Frank Seravalli (Daily Faceoff) reported that the Habs were looking for a top-four right-handed defenseman. Elliotte Friedman (Sportsnet) reported that in addition to the RHD, the Canadiens seek a forward who plays with an edge.

The accompanying message is that Hughes does not want to shift from their long term plans or spend too much in future assets to make a deal.

Is it sensible for the Habs to be in the trade market this early?

The search for a right shot defender is connected to both injuries and readiness.

The left side defense is more or less secure at the moment. Lane Hutson has settled in well, Mike Matheson looks ready to deliver another strong year, and either Jayden Struble or Arber Xhekaj can fill the third pair role. Coach Martin St. Louis has also said they’d like to get Kaiden Guhle back to his strong side.

The right side has more question marks.

Guhle looked good there before his injury, and Justin Barron was playing well enough to play the third pair role, at least, before he was injured by a Jacob Trouba hit. David Savard will fill a role supporting the kids, at least until the deadline.

Logan Mailloux looks strong in the offensive zone, but can still look a little dazed and confused in his own end. The question is whether his development is better served in a top pair role in Laval, or in getting the NHL reps.

No doubt, before David Reinbacher was injured, the intention was to have Mailloux and Reinbacher develop in Laval, with both competing to win the injury relief call ups, and eventually moving to the big club when Savard is dealt at the deadline. The injuries came sooner than expected.

If Guhle and Barron are close to returning, is there really a need to add a RHD? I can see the idea having merit if one or several things are true.

• If they would truly prefer to return Guhle to the left side sooner rather than later.
• If they have seen enough of Barron and are ready to trade him for an upgrade.
• If they don’t think Mailloux is ready and they want to return him to Laval to work on his defensive game.
• If they believe Reinbacher’s injury is serious enough to delay his arrival by a year or more.

I can see the merits of adding a defender that is an upgrade on Barron and allows Savard to play bottom pair. I wondered if they would go after Rasmus Andersson this past summer, but. I’m not sure he’s available now with the Flames playing well. For me, it only makes sense to go after a player of that quality if they intend to re-sign him.

Dante Fabbro is also rumoured to be available from Nashville, but if he is I’m guessing GM Barry Trotz would prefer to package him to obtain a centreman. The Habs can’t help in that category.

Are either of these players available without offering some of those futures that Hughes isn’t keen on giving up? If it’s truly a salary in – salary out deal, I’m not sure what the Habs are giving to get something of value.

The Habs may be content to add a veteran warm body just to allow the kids to develop away from Montreal. That addition is obviously an easier feat, but doesn’t help the kids get those reps they need.

The search for a physical forward is not a new development.

Going into the off-season following another bottom-five finish, GM Kent Hughes said the team needed goal scoring and physicality. He proceeded to add Patrik Laine and Alex Barre-Boulet, the latter of which was always intended for Laval.

My view is that Hughes has been on the lookout for some time for a physical player who could play top nine, and that the Habs would add one at any point that player became available if they could make a fair deal.

What would it take to pry Nicolas Roy out of Vegas? He could play way higher in the line-up for the Habs and may be worth opening the cupboards a little. Roy is at the right age to support a young team into its contention window.

Who are these physical top-nine guys who might actually available by trade and worth the trouble? The list is short and that’s why Hughes hasn’t made the move yet.

After another big blowout on home ice on Tuesday night, it’s not hard to imagine that Hughes would like to made a deal to shuffle his roster a little. The type of trade he’s willing to make depends on how serious they were about the “in the mix” mantra.

American Thanksgiving is approaching, and by then it will be fairly obvious who is genuinely in the mix.