What to expect from the Montreal Canadiens on Trade Deadline Day
By Omar L
What’s Been Done Already?
The Montreal Canadiens got things started on February 18th, moving Marco Scandella. It was a similar model to the Ilya Kovalchuk signing. The Habs gave the player who was in odd sorts with their team and wanted an opportunity to prove they can be useful on a competitive team (competitive in the sense of making a run at a playoff spot – there was still hope back then). On the other hand, if things went south, Scandella could be an option to capitalize from at the Trade Deadline.
More from Editorials
- Montreal Canadiens: Senators Rebuild At Crisis Point As Kent Hughes Moves Forward
- Montreal Canadiens: Jonathan Drouin Continues Charity Work In Montreal After Leaving Habs
- Montreal Canadiens: Laval Rocket Lineup Going To Be Must Watch
- Montreal Canadiens: Jesse Ylönen Contract Extension Analysis
- Montreal Canadiens: Top 31 Prospects – #31 Quentin Miller
Montreal originally paid a 2020 fourth-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres to acquire Scandella. The St. Louis Blues ended up paying a 2020 second and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2021. The second is guaranteed, which is an incredible upgrade.
St. Louis was likely more desperate to pay up, considering they lost Jay Bouwmeester to that cardiac episode. However, to make matters better, the Habs will get that fourth if Scandella re-signs or if the team wins two playoff rounds with him playing in at least half of the games.
The second big sell came Sunday evening. Pierre Lebrun teased the event happening on Insider Trading a little over an hour before the news broke. Ilya Kovalchuk was moved to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a third-round pick in 2020. It may seem like the Montreal Canadiens settled here as the consensus was that Bergevin wanted a second for Kovalchuk.
Again, the Habs were able to turn two projects/pump ups into a second and third-round pick. What’s next?