If the Montreal Canadiens were looking to make any sort of move, it would have to wait until the end of the month as the holiday trade freeze is on.
The NHL’s annual Christmas present is here for the Montreal Canadiens and the other 30 teams to share. Rosters will be frozen for the next two weeks to prevent any player movement over the holidays. Capfriendly tweeted out the details of the holiday freeze as it pertains to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) but here’s a summary of what you need to know:
- The freeze begins December 19th at 11:59 PM and lasts until December 28th
- A team can’t trade a player, place them on waivers, or loan them to their AHL affiliate
Nothing too damaging here. Despite the desire for some kind of move, the Habs probably won’t make one until the days leading up to the deadline. That, of course, depends on where the team is at that time. Additionally, there isn’t anyone currently on the roster who Montreal should want to waive. Some may say Joe Morrow, but the Habs need him right now as Shea Weber continues to recover.
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There are some exceptions to the rule, and some apply to the Montreal Canadiens. Teams can still recall players from the AHL which helps if management decided to give Nikita Scherbak or Brett Lernout another look, it could be possible. Lernout makes the most sense considering the state of the blueline. Going back to Morrow, after being scratched for seven of the team’s last nine games, you could say that he’s being played more out of necessity than improved play.
The Habs have 22 players on their active roster currently, so they have the space to recall a Lernout for example if they felt he could help. The only downside is that the Laval Rocket has been suffering from all these call-ups having lost a handful of their key contributors to trades and recalls.
Perhaps we’ll see some movement after the freeze is over. On the other hand, it may be better to continue to stay patient.