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Should the Montreal Canadiens make a Kawhi Leonard type trade?

By Omar L

TORONTO, ON - MAY 25: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors hoists the Eastern Conference Championship trophy after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in Game Six of the NBA Eastern Conference Final at Scotiabank Arena on May 25, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Raptors defeated the Bucks 100-94 to win the Eastern Conference Championship 4 games to 2. NOTE TO USER: user expressly acknowledges and agrees by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Licence Agreement. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - MAY 25: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors hoists the Eastern Conference Championship trophy after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in Game Six of the NBA Eastern Conference Final at Scotiabank Arena on May 25, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Raptors defeated the Bucks 100-94 to win the Eastern Conference Championship 4 games to 2. NOTE TO USER: user expressly acknowledges and agrees by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Licence Agreement. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Montreal Canadiens
CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 7: Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Toronto Raptors can relate to that last point. Under this regime, the team had great regular season success but wouldn’t get as far as they wanted to in the playoffs.

They lost in the first round two years in a row before making the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016 to fall to Lebron James and the Cleaveland Cavaliers. The following two seasons would have them eliminated in the second round despite being a better team, and manager Masai Ujiri decided enough was enough.

The Raptors needed a change if they were going to become serious contenders, and with that, he traded fan favourite Demar DeRozan adding top-five player Kawhi Leonard.

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There was risk behind a trade like that. Not only was the fan backlash a factor, but the fact that Leonard could choose to leave the team the following summer and pursue free agency. However, the goal was to contend for and win a championship and Kawhi has done being the Raptors’ key piece into their NBA Finals appearance.

The trade was worth it as soon as Ujiri pulled the trigger, but now there is absolutely no one who can say the Raptors made a mistake in dealing DeRozan.

Teams in the NHL have had to make tough but necessary trades in the past. There comes a point where a general manager can’t be satisfied with just being good. The hardest moves and decisions convert a team from being good to elite and eventually to winners. Is that time now for the Montreal Canadiens and does Marc Bergevin have the drive to do it?

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