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Montreal Canadiens: Three Potential Jonathan Drouin Trades

By Ken MacMillan

MONTREAL, QC - SEPTEMBER 16: Montreal Canadiens left wing Jonathan Drouin (92) waits for a faceoff during the New Jersey Devils versus the Montreal Canadiens preseason game on September 16, 2019, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - SEPTEMBER 16: Montreal Canadiens left wing Jonathan Drouin (92) waits for a faceoff during the New Jersey Devils versus the Montreal Canadiens preseason game on September 16, 2019, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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UNIONDALE, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 17: Nick Leddy #2 (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
UNIONDALE, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 17: Nick Leddy #2 (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

New York Islanders

The Canadiens biggest need heading into the offseason was to add a left defenceman. They eventually signed former Winnipeg Jets defender Ben Chiarot who looks to have found a home next to Jeff Petry on the team’s second pairing.

Chiarot is a fine defender. He is big, physical and he reads the play well enough to stay in position and limit scoring chances against. He will play a huge role on the penalty kill, but he will never see the ice when the Canadiens have a man advantage.

You may recall that the power play was awful last season and a big reason the Habs missed the playoffs. They haven’t brought in a player that can help with the power play yet, though Suzuki might, and could benefit from swapping last season’s power play quarterback for a new one that also happens to be a left defenceman.

Leddy is a great skater and puck transporter who can also be counted on to play a sound defensive game. He saw his offensive totals take a dip last season, from three straight years of 40 or more points to just 26. However, many players on Long Island saw their offensive numbers dip in their first season under head coach Barry Trotz.

Also, Leddy was on the top defence pairing of the team that allowed the least number of goals against. His offence would likely bounce back on a strong even strength scoring team like the Montreal Canadiens, but even if it didn’t, he would form a heck of a shutdown pairing with Shea Weber.

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