Canadiens Likely to Be Big Movers at Trade Deadline
Plus, a look at why the Habs are not regressing, a trade target from Detroit, and more!
Welcome to the THW Montreal Canadiens Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Canadiens writers.
In today’s edition, we take a look at why the Canadiens are likely to be big sellers, why they are not regressing, a trade target on the Red Wings, and more.
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Canadiens Likely to Be Big Movers at the 2024 Trade Deadline
December 15, 2023 by Trege Wilson
The Montreal Canadiens are headed for another season of losing players at the trade deadline (TDL). Last season, they could have sold a few, but due to injuries and poor play, the returns were not worth the effort to trade the available players. This season, the team is better positioned to move players for high-quality assets in return, as long as they stay healthy. The Sports Network (TSN) has four Habs players on their trade bait top 20: Sean Monahan, Mike Matheson, Jake Allen and Cayden Primeau.
The Canadiens could be big players at the TDL; with many prospects close to making the jump to the NHL as early as next season, it would be the perfect time to move players and create roster space while also giving the team high-end assets to use at the draft or trade for a much-needed highly skilled forward. In fact, Montreal could have more than four players made available before the deadline.
Canadiens Haven’t Regressed, They’re Still Rebuilding
December 15, 2023 by Blain Potvin
There have been many discussions about whether or not the Montreal Canadiens have regressed from last season. However, the answer depends on the metric used to compare the two seasons.
There’s no simple yes or no answer. Any answer needs context. The fact that general manager (GM) Kent Hughes is focused on a rebuild and not just the standings is significant. In that sense, no, the Canadiens have not regressed. Here’s why.
Canadiens Have Prime Trade Target in Red Wings’ Berggren
December 15, 2023 by Michael DeRosa
Over the next few months leading up to the deadline, the Montreal Canadiens will be one of the most-talked-about teams in trade chatter. This is because they are expected to be among the NHL’s biggest sellers, with players like Sean Monahan, David Savard, Jake Allen, and Cayden Primeau being some of their trade candidates. However, while the Canadiens are expected to be sellers, that does not mean that they should automatically avoid trying to bring in talent.
One interesting player on which the Canadiens should be keeping a close eye is Detroit Red Wings winger Jonatan Berggren. The 23-year-old winger has been picking up some steam in the rumor mill as of late, and he would make sense as a trade target for Montreal. Let’s discuss why this is the case now.
Canadiens Face Critical Choice Between Dvorak & Evans at Center
December 14, 2023 by Ryan Szporer
It’s a good bet that, if your second-line center is Christian Dvorak, you’re not going to be winning Stanley Cups anytime soon. If only someone had told ex-general manager Marc Bergevin that a few years ago, eh?
All due respect to both Dvorak and Jake Evans, but, if you’re moving the latter up the lineup at the former’s expense, you’re even less likely to gain traction in the standings. And that’s what’s been happening, with Evans getting more ice time than Dvorak in five of the last seven games.
That’s nothing against Evans. He’s just not someone you generally associate or should with top-six offensive production. This is something the Canadiens have experimented with in the past, with relatively underwhelming results.