Montreal Canadiens: The Brandon Davidson trade helps

Trades are continuing to pile up ahead of Monday’s Trade Deadline, and the latest Brandon Davidson deal helps the Montreal Canadiens as they look to offload.

The Montreal Canadiens having to make another small deal or two to free up space on their roster has been a hot topic as of late. Nikita Scherbak could always be brought up from the Laval Rocket on an emergency recall, but they’ll need something else to give to activate Andrew Shaw from injured reserve.

It’s easy to say that the Habs will move on from one of Daniel Carr, Jacob de La Rose, Byron Froese, Jordie Benn, Joseph Morrow, or David Schlemko, but it’s hard to gauge what they could get in return. However, the Brandon Davidson trade may set the tone for what the Habs may ask for when moving Benn, Morrow, or Schlemko. The Edmonton Oilers managed to get a third-round pick in 2019 for defencemen they picked up off waivers who was used on the bottom pairing.

Davidson played 23 games for the Oilers averaging around 17 minutes a game. The Islanders won’t be looking for offence from the 26-year-old as he had four points in Edmonton and only a single assist in Montreal, but he could be a nice stabilizer on the Islanders’ blueline.

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However, if The Oilers can get a third-round pick for Davidson, the Habs should be able to get somewhere close to the same thing for one of their three trade chips on defence.

Teams are always looking to shore up their defensive depth for the playoffs. Schlemko seems unlikely considering the term on his deal as he’ll be making $2.1 million for another two years. Morrow may be a player Habs want to keep if Claude Julien is committed to working with him leaving Benn as the easy one out.

The Habs originally acquired the 30-year-old ahead of last year’s deadline, but it may be time to move on from him. With Noah Juulsen stepping up and proving to be an effective player, they can afford to move on from him and get some assets in return.

Next: A Hand in a Karlsson Trade

Do you think it’s Benn who is traded? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments.