If the Montreal Canadiens choose to start making moves, they should mainly be looking for picks and prospects as all signs are pointing to a retooling phase.
Hockey minds are slowly getting ready to accept the fact that the season for the Montreal Canadiens may be over. In fact, there’s been a belief going around social media that December 28th, 2017 will go down as the end of the 2017-18 Habs. Whether that’s true or not is still up for debate. I mean the true, undeniable end may come next month at the hands of the Boston Bruins after their two games.
Eric Engels wrote an interesting piece for Sportsnet saying that it may be time for Marc Bergevin to start looking to next season. Granted that’s under the assumption that he’ll be around to see into whatever is done in the next four months.
So what does that hint at exactly? Fans have been calling for trades all year to help bolster the team. First, it was Matt Duchene who had since been moved to Ottawa (and that hasn’t worked out in their favour). Now the talk is surrounding Kris Letang who may be available as Jim Rutherford is looking for ways to shed salary and improve the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third run at the cup.
We can all safely say that the Habs aren’t in a position to buy at the deadline. However, what they can do is deal veterans on the team for picks and prospects. The concept of a retool is an easier pill to swallow than a full-on rebuild and also more do-able.
A team with Carey Price as their starting goaltender can’t finish last. He’s kept the team in games and has shouldered a lot of pressure on his own when they can’t seem to find their legs. That being said, Price may not be able to keep the Habs out of the bottom ten.
Montreal already has promising talent in the cupboards in the CHL with the likes of Will Bitten, Scott Walford, and Michael Pezzetta. Additionally, 2015 3rd round pick Lukas Vejdemo is having a phenomenal season in Sweden as he’s already doubled his point total from last season.
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The problem is that they’re still one or two years away. Aside from maybe Nikita Scherbak, the Habs don’t have a clear NHL-ready prospect outside of the league as the jury is still out on what Michael McCarron will be able to do.
A Phillip Danault type of trade is something management should look for. He was 30 games into his first full NHL season with the Chicago Blackhawks before being traded to Montreal. It’s tough to think of prospects from other teams who would be available, but I’m sure the Habs will have tabs on what’s going on.
Montreal needs to start adding young, controllable assets to their system. Players who are itching for an opportunity to crack an NHL roster and stay there. At the same time, they need to make room for these players in the lineup for the upcoming seasons.
It’ll be interesting to see if management commits to this new way of thinking or not. When/if that happens, the 2016-17 season could be the last time we see the likes of Max Pacioretty or Tomas Plekanec in a Habs sweater.
Next: Gallagher on Pace for a Career Year
Do you agree that the Habs should only be looking for picks and prospects? Let us know what you think down below.