Three Anaheim Ducks players the Montreal Canadiens may trade for
The Montreal Canadiens are still on the hunt for a left-shot defenceman, and with the Anaheim Ducks coming to town, a trade between them may work.
We’ve already discussed a few options for the Montreal Canadiens and their hunt to shore up their left side on defence. Jake Muzzin was one of them, and Elliotte Friedman revealed in his latest 31 Thoughts piece, or confirmed rather, that the Habs were involved in those trade talks, specifically when it came to trading Max Pacioretty. But considering how good Tomas Tatar and Nick Suzuki look, I don’t think the Habs missed out.
Shayne Gostisbehere has been another defenceman to consider especially with all signs pointing to a selling season for the Philadelphia Flyers. That could change if they continue to press on for a wild-card spot into the playoffs making a Gostisbehere deal extremely difficult and expensive. The type of player he is in combination with his cap hit may make a trade of that type worth it for the Habs in the long-run though.
The easiest avenue has always been to stand pat and wait. Victor Mete‘s reuniting with Shea Weber is looking more like a for sure run rather than the latest experiment. Thankfully he was okay after taking a check that drove his head and neck into the boards thanks to Milan Lucic.
That easily could’ve forced Marc Bergevin‘s hand if the Montreal Canadiens wouldn’t be content with another go of the Brett Kulak/Jordie Benn show up top (although the former has looked better as each game passes).
Another team that may be the trade partner are the Anaheim Ducks and considering the state of their season and organization as a whole, shedding players and salary would be a beneficial move for the long haul.
This is far from the first time the Ducks and Montreal Canadiens have been involved in trade speculation together.
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Scouts attended Habs games (and vice versa) last season when it was clear things with Pacioretty were going south. And it wasn’t only regular scouts as Bergevin himself would attend some of these games.
The same thing is happening this season. Bergevin has been sighted watching the last two Ducks games: the 9-2 shelling at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets and Monday night’s 6-1 beating against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The first impulse of this “news” is to take it with a grain of salt obviously.
I’ve seen some connect the dots saying Bergevin was only there because the Montreal Canadiens were set to take them on Tuesday at Bell Centre. True but it wouldn’t be surprising to see something else here. A regular scout could’ve done that, Bergevin taking it upon himself to watch not only one but two games ahead of the one against his own team does smell a bit.
Then again, this could be very ‘tin-foil hatty’ which is fine as this could just be another point of discussion as to how the Montreal Canadiens attempt to add another top-pair defenceman (again assuming Mete isn’t the guy).
The Anaheim Ducks have had a lot of playoff success since winning the Stanley Cup back in 2007. Since then, they’ve qualified for the post-season nine out of the last 11 years. Their key contributors have aged and gotten slower while they’re drafting has been okay. But we’ve seen the benefits of having a year or two that results in a top-five pick and Anaheim having few of them has caught up to them as a franchise.
If it is time to sell and Bob Murray is willing to listen on some deals, there are three players who the Montreal Canadiens may ask about.
1. Hampus Lindholm
The top-pair defenceman was the prize of a poor season in 2012 for the Anaheim Ducks. They wound up with the sixth overall pick using it to select Hampus Lindholm from Rogle BK Angelholm.
Lindholm is the perfect combination of size (6’3″ and 211 pounds) and skating ability. These two qualities make him an effective shutdown defenceman who can play up to and beyond 25 minutes a night along with an ability to put up points.
The 25-year-old set a career high in goals last season with 13 in 69 games where three came on the powerplay. Lindholm isn’t confined to a single way of scoring as his slap shot, and wrist shot are equally effective and dangerous. Additionally, he’s more of a puck advancer than a puck mover. He can disrupt plays in the defensive zone and quickly get the puck up to his corresponding wingers for the go-ahead play not leaving the zone until the puck does.
His defensive reads are generally on point, and that’s made Lindholm a key contributor on the penalty kill. He also doesn’t cheat you for effort which can be seen by his performance this season. Lindholm has by far been one of Anaheim’s best players in a year where nothing has been going for them. Several plays created by him later went to the wayside thanks to lack of skill from the forwards or plain bad puck luck.
Lindholm would be a perfect fit with Weber as the two excel in their two-way game and can both send bombs from the point.
And if that doesn’t sell you, his $5,205,556 cap-hit for the next three seasons should.
2. Corey Perry
Let’s change gears a bit here. Defence is likely to be the goal for the Montreal Canadiens ahead of the trade deadline, but keep in mind their greatest weapon: cap space.
The Habs are in a great position to lend a helping hand to other teams in the league with their $9,350,994 cushion and make a similar deal that landed them Joel Armia. And here is where Corey Perry ties into all of this.
Perry, along with Ryan Getzlaf, has been the face of the Anaheim Ducks for years. He’s strapped together 959 NHL games putting up 353 goals and 388 assists for a total of 741 points in the process. However, the calendar has taken to Perry as of late. But that doesn’t mean he’s a bad player at all. What hurts Anaheim is the contract he’s on which has Perry making $8.625 million for another two seasons.
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It’s tough to get something done with that on the books and of the three big deals on the Ducks’ cap, Perry’s is the “easiest” to move. The Montreal Canadiens have the space to handle the cap hit for the duration of the contract. They won’t have it forever as the likes of Artturi Lehkonen and Max Domi to name a few will be in need of new deals by then, but Bergevin has rarely found himself in cap issues. You also have to consider the money coming off the books in the meantime along with an eventual Karl Alzner trade.
Perry isn’t the 40-50 goal player he once was, but he still has offensive skill, especially in the slot, and a hot switch. Many were calling for the end of his era last season, and he went on to put up 17 goals and 32 assists including a stretch of nine points in seven games.
A well-known knock of his are his goal slumps. They’re sometimes reminiscent of Pacioretty when he was still on the team, but Perry will do more and get on the body when the bounces aren’t going his way. Sometimes those get out of hand, and it costs the team a powerplay opportunity or two.
Perry does have a no-movement clause on his contract and would need to waive it for the deal to go through. What the Habs get as a thank you gift for the deal could be what makes this kind of transaction even more favourable. However, there are a lot of what-ifs and maybes that need to come into play.
3. Cam Fowler
Cam Fowler is likely the target for the Montreal Canadiens. He may not be as big as Lindholm is, but Fowler is a much better skater and is a stellar puck mover.
The 27-year-old would fit the mould of the Habs blueline better than Lindholm when it comes to the makeup of each pairing. Several of the defencemen aren’t shy to join the rush as long as they have the skating to get back in position. That is Fowler’s MO as he can quickly transition from defence to offence and vice versa without putting his teammates in poor positions. And even on the occasion where he’s beat momentarily, Fowler can make it back on the backcheck with powerful strides to evade the opposition.
He can play in all situations, similar to Lindholm, and averages north of 24 minutes making him another possible fit with Weber.
It’s not perfect though. Fowler has had moments of clear puck watching or making a lackadaisical play which would make any coach scream. He’s also struggling in his zone entries and exits which hurts him given how strong of a skater he is with the puck. Perhaps it’s a funk he needs to get out of as he’s recently coming off a facial injury.
Another point of concern is possibly Fowler’s deal. The Windsor native has a $52 million contract extension with a $6.5 million cap hit that kicked in this season. Trading for Fowler would come with a commitment but if the Montreal Canadiens are sure of what he can bring to the team long term than why not.
Of the three options, Fowler seems to be the most likely. Lindholm is younger and Perry is in control of his fate. Fowler has a modified no-trade clause with a four-team list but Anaheim has more leeway here. The difference maker will be what Bergevin offers.
dark. Next. Is Artemi Panarin an option?
Could a pick-prospect-player deal be what gets it done? Montreal’s first-round pick is surely involved but we find ourselves in a similar situation to Muzzin as to who the Habs can part with. Perhaps this gets answered in the next few weeks and even if nothing comes to be with the Ducks, Bergevin is working on something.