5 Key Montreal Canadiens questions for the remainder of the season
By Omar L
Should They Do It?
A similar but different question. Marc Bergevin has never been one to go crazy at the Trade Deadline, but if he were, this would not be the time. It’s far from a guarantee that the Montreal Canadiens stay in the race much less make the playoffs, and it could be better in the long-term for the Habs to be sellers instead of buyers.
Take Ilya Kovalchuk, for example. As the risk was a risk, it really does look as if the purpose of the signing was to turn Kovalchuk into an asset at the deadline. It doesn’t make too much sense to extend him for next season if they do like what he’s brought to the locker room as far as leadership. At the most, another year couldn’t hurt, but why risk his play taking a hit.
Kovalchuk’s value is increasing more and more, and a draft pick in the second or third round or a B-level prospect could turn into someone useful for the Montreal Canadiens.
You also have to look at the actual draft. The event is happening in Montreal for the first time since 2009. That wasn’t the best year for Habs, who wound up taking Louis Leblanc 18th overall. Leblanc only played 50 total NHL games for the Canadiens, spending most of his professional career in the AHL before moving on to Europe play.
This is not to say that the Habs should tank the rest of the season. At this point, Detroit, Ottawa, and New Jersey have locked up the best odds to get the first overall pick and draft Alexis Lafreniere. However, it is a lottery, and anything can happen. They would have the eighth-best odds to win if the lottery were to happen today and perhaps keeping it that way would be another long-term investment.