More Trade Targets The Canadiens Could Pursue
In my last piece, I reported on and analyzed some frequent trade rumours surrounding the Habs. While I found some of them very intriguing, many of the players in question would cost a heck of a lot to acquire and may be more likely to be traded in the off-season anyway. Marc Bergevin is not the kind of GM to make rash decisions and mortgage the team’s future for a flash in the pan. The Canadiens do still need an extra piece or two to go deep in the playoffs, and there may be some more reasonable (cheaper) deals to be made by the trade deadline which can help them in a long playoff campaign.
Needs
The Canadiens could use some help at forward and on the back end. The team would be greatly improved with the addition of one more top 6 forward who can contribute to secondary scoring. The Habs have plenty of capable playmakers, but lack any clear cut snipers outside of Max Pacioretty. They should definitely have a shoot-first kind of player on their wish list. A big body would be a boon as well.
There has been a lot of shuffling on the blue line this season already, but the Canadiens could use some stability from a legitimate top 4 guy on defense. Andrei Markov and P.K. Subban make up the undisputed top pairing, and Sergei Gonchar has been quite the revelation behind them on the depth chart. Nathan Beaulieu‘s development is finally coming along, but after those players, the defense thins out quite a bit. Alexei Emelin has become an overpaid third pairing guy and Tom Gilbert hasn’t met the team’s expectations at all. Mike Weaver has slowed down and barely sees any ice time. With Jarred Tinordi still stalling in his development in Hamilton, the Habs could use a big, physical, stay-at-home defender who could slot into the top 6 immediately.
Potential Targets
Rumours of this trade have been brought up every year since Jagr made his NHL comeback. Granted, the guy is almost 43 years old. Despite his advanced age though, Jagr has remained a consistent scoring threat and can add that to a second or third line. With New Jersey looking to be out of the playoff picture next month, expect them to shop their pending UFAs, including Jagr. The Habs may be able to get him in a trade bargain for a second or third round pick – well worth the offensive depth he could bring to the team.
Tlusty is set to hit free agency after this season and with the Hurricanes near the bottom of the standings, they could be looking to shop him. The reason I like Tlusty as an option for the Habs is that he can bolster goal scoring. His stats consistently show that Tlusty scores twice as many goals as he does assists – a pure shooter. He could also develop great chemistry with his Czech countrymen Tomas Plekanec and Jiri Sekac. Tlusty might be acquired for a 2nd or 3rd round pick and a mid-level prospect – decidedly cheaper than Ryan O’Reilly or Antoine Vermette.
Nov 26, 2014; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres right wing Chris Stewart (80) celebrates his goal against the Winnipeg Jets with the bench during the third period at First Niagara Center. Jets beat the Sabres 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
With the Buffalo Sabres in full rebuild mode, they will likely be moving a bunch of players by the trade deadline. Most of the trade anticipation focuses on where power forward right-winger Chris Stewart will end up. Stewart would certainly be a great addition to the Habs roster, but Buffalo’s price tag will surely be very high. The good news is that in contrast, their other power forward winger, Drew Stafford, could come at a cheaper price. While all the suitors line up to deal for Stewart, the Canadiens could quietly pick up Stafford for a good price while everyone is looking the other way. Stafford hasn’t put up impressive point totals in his career, but he does after all, play for the Sabres. He’s been able to score 15 to 20 goals with a bad Sabres team pretty consistently, and his 6’2”, 214 pound frame would be a welcome addition to the Canadiens roster.
As noted above, Alexei Emelin is just not throwing his weight around the way that the Canadiens need him to. The Habs need an upgrade on Emelin and Marc Methot could fit that bill very well. Ottawa may look to trade some UFAs if they fall out of the playoff picture and Methot could instantly beef up any team’s blue line. Carey Price is the Canadiens’ best player and he needs some better protection around his crease. Methot is defensively reliable and excels at the physical side of the game – just what the doctor ordered. It’s hard to gauge what the asking price will be (depends on how much interest the Senators get from other teams), but you have to think the Habs should pursue a player exactly like this if he’s available.
Another big boy on the blue line, Michalek is likely to be available right now, what with his contract ending and the Coyotes out of the playoffs. While Methot would be a great defensive acquisition, his price may continue to rise. Furthermore, Methot is a left-handed D-man and the Habs could use more help at the right side. Enter Big “Z” Michalek. He is a right-handed shot, can easily slot into the second defense pairing and take some of the load off of Gonchar. Michalek plays a similar stay-at-home style to Methot, and can use his body to clear the crease while playing a sound defensive game. It may not take more than a third round pick to trade for him, so Bergevin should definitely consider the possibility.
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The monstrous, 6’4”, 225 pound Bellemore would fill a similar role to the defensemen listed above, for a much cheaper (easy to absorb) cap hit of $600k. This would be a riskier trade than the others, as you know what to expect from experienced players like Methot and Michalek, while Bellemore may not pan out as more than a depth player. But a quick glance at Bellemore’s stats show us a pretty good +/- differential for a guy on a bad Carolina team. He’s currently a +2 on a minus team and at just 26 years old, has lots of room to learn and improve his game. He may not be a legitimate top 4 defenseman, but even from a bottom pairing, Bellemore could fill the physical shut-down role the Habs need to address. He could come as cheap as a late round draft pick or a fringe prospect, so it wouldn’t hurt for the Canadiens to keep him in mind if nothing else materializes by March 2
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Honourable Mentions
There are plenty of other players out there that the Canadiens could target in a trade. They did not all make this list, for various reasons. Some players may be too pricey or not be on the trade market at all, or they didn’t fit the roles of secondary scorer or shut-down defender. That said, here is a list of some of the other players that the Habs may consider targeting by the trade deadline, with commentary:
Ryan O’Reilly – Would be great, but too expensive, no guarantee of re-signing.
Antoine Vermette – Asking price way too high (1st round pick + top prospect) for a rental.
Nail Yakupov – More likely to be moved in the offseason.
Jordan Eberle – May not be shopped until the offseason.
Andrej Sekera – High trade price, doesn’t fit the physical role.
Chris Stewart – Expect a bidding war, thus driving the price tag up too high.
Cody Franson – Already tried to get him in the summer, not a true shut-down D despite good size.
Justin Williams – Doesn’t seem to be on the Kings’ trade block right now.
Zack Kassian – Would add size and grit, but not as more than a third-liner, not enough scoring.
Martin Havlat – Could still contribute to secondary scoring, cheap, but long injury history – risky.
Jeff Petry – Plays big minutes (in Edmonton), but has -22 differential in past two seasons.
Note that I am not making any sort of predictions here – trying to predict which trade a team might actually execute is futile. These are all players that may be available in the coming weeks which the Canadiens may have an interest in acquiring. If you can think of any other ideal targets, please feel free to mention them in the comments section below. For more analysis on Habs trade plans, check out A Winning Habit editor Kosta Papoulias’ great article here. Whatever course Habs management decides to take, we are in for an interesting month ahead.