The 2026 Olympics are well underway and we are in the middle of the NHL trade freeze, which is in effect until 11:59pm on February 22. When we wake up on February 23, the NHL will be wide open for business.
The freeze does not apply to rumours and they continue to swirl while our favourite players represent their countries. Some of those rumours revolve around the Montreal Canadiens, who will play just three more games before the NHL trade deadline.
Here are some hopes and expectations for the Habs as the trade deadline approaches.
By all accounts, Patrik Laine’s tenure in Montreal is coming to a close. While he was a significant factor in helping the Canadiens make the playoffs last season, the combination of his own injuries and the arrival of younger scoring options renders Laine expendable. The expectation is that he will be dealt without playing another game for the Habs.
Ideally, GM Kent Hughes can move Laine to a playoff team where he can be useful without the Habs having to give up a sweetener or retain on his salary. Making both happen would be practical magic.
Earlier this week, a Carolina fan account posted a reference to a credible reporter having said that Laine was headed to the Hurricanes with another player and a third team involved. The post was later retracted, but not before my buddy and I whipped up a scenario.
Imagine Laine to Carolina, Jesperi Kotkaniemi to Vancouver and Evander Kane to Montreal. All three teams are alleviated of a player they are ready to move on from and receive a player they can use. Perhaps there are other small parts added, but it could work… in theory.
Necessity is the mother of invention, they say, and anything can happen when smart GMs get creative. The more likely outcome is Laine being moved to a contender with 50% salary retained and a mid to late round pick coming back.
I won’t go into detail about why the Canadiens need to add a right shot defenseman, having done so in a previous article. The short version is this. They have to keep Lane Hutson on his strong side. That means one of Mike Matheson or Kaiden Guhle has to play on the right, if both are to stay in the top four, and neither of them is very good at that.
I’m not sure if Martin St. Louis would see the situation just like I do, but the coach was practically telegraphing his request for another d-man before the break. The sixth spot has been a competition between Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble, and neither has won the coach’s trust. It seems he is reducing their ice time rather than gradually integrating them into bigger roles.
Whether conscious or not, Marty is sending a message.
In my proposal, the Habs move Guhle, while he still has value, to acquire a player who can help now and be useful in transition through the window. If I’m honest, I don’t believe HuGo is ready to do that, and I think that’s an error.
The more likely outcome it that Hughes trades a mid round pick, a B prospect or a depth player for a depth right-shot defenseman. A guy like Luke Schenn comes to mind.
It has been well documented that HuGo would like to pull off a hockey trade for a top six forward who can fit into the core. Jeff Gorton told Sportsnet’s Eric Engels the Habs would like to be aggressive at the deadline. But hockey trades are hard to make mid-season.
The Canadiens have been trying to add a top-six forward since the off-season, perhaps initially with a preference for a second line centreman. Several factors have mitigated the need for a 2C, including the emergence of Oliver Kapanen, Juraj Slafkovsky’s play on the second line, the addition of Phil Danault to strengthen the centre depth, and the anticipated eventual arrival of two prospects with 2C potential.
Still the rumours won’t stop and HuGo wants to be aggressive.
One name has surfaced repeatedly: Jordan Kyrou. The Blues make sense as a trade partner and the player makes sense as a target. Kyrou is a goal-scorer with size; a speedy, offensively gifted forward who possesses some pivot skills, including his ability to transport the puck through all three zones.
Kyrou is in the third year of an eight-year contract that comes in at a cap hit of $8.125M. The fit with the removal of the Laine contract is obvious, never mind the roster player that would surely go back in the deal.
We are truly in fantasyland now. Trading for one of those players would be a big deal for the Habs. Trading for both is pure fantasy. But fantasy wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t so much fun.
In this proposal, Montreal gets two players that fill two clear holes on their roster. Kyrou fits the window. Parayko helps now, but is also a nice transition piece while Reinbacher develops and gradually moves into a top-four role.
There are reasons for St. Louis to entertain this trade as well. They immediately get younger with three players – Guhle, Newhook and Beck – who can join the line-up and help the team while also being under team control for an extended period. They get a future asset in the first round pick and an opportunity to flip Laine before the deadline for another asset.
We all know the deadline won’t go down like my fantasy proposal, but there is a very good chance that the roster will look a little different than the one that went into the Olympic break.
With a wide open Eastern Conference, HuGo would be wise to lean into aggressive if the right opportunity presents.
Hab At Her 