Canadiens: Three Bold Moves The Habs Should Make Today

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The Montreal Canadiens approach the trade deadline as sellers after already moving out Marco Scandella and Ilya Kovalchuk. What else will they do? Here are three bold moves that would pay off down the road.

The Montreal Canadiens will approach the deadline today as clear sellers. They are six points out of a playoff spot but would have to jump over the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers as well as keep ahead of the Buffalo Sabres while playing less games than all three of those division rivals.

The chances are not impossible I suppose, but they are highly unlikely. That is why we have already seen the Canadiens trade away two pending unrestricted free agents. Marco Scandella was sent to the St. Louis Blues for a second round draft pick and a conditional fourth round draft pick in 2021. They also moved Ilya Kovalchuk to the Washington Capitals last night for a third round pick.

Those two moves were interesting pieces of business for the Canadiens and general manager Marc Bergevin. Kovalchuk and Scandella were both acquired shortly after New Year’s Day and all it cost the Habs was a fourth round pick. They have turned that into at least a second and a third and could also get a future fourth.

Does that mean we will continue to see Bergevin selling assets today? Will he be content with the work he has done already? Will he make any big moves to reshape the future of this team? I guess we will have to wait until after the deadline to see what deals he has up his sleeve today.

There has been no shortage of rumours leading up to this year’s trade deadline. Every single name in the organization has been linked to another team at one time or another it seems. Carey Price‘s name has been thrown around, Nate Thompson and Nick Cousins seem like logical pieces to move and Jeff Petry and Tomas Tatar are garnering plenty of interest.

What will Bergevin decide? We all know his phone will be buzzing away all day today. Will he tinker? Stand pat? Make a blockbuster trade?

Here are three bold options that he should consider that would greatly change the future of the organization and set them up for a decade of success.

NEWARK, NJ – FEBRUARY 4: Tomas Tatar #90 of the Montreal Canadiens waits for a face off in an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils on February 4, 2020 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /

Acquire a future first round pick from the Pacific Division

The Montreal Canadiens division has been fairly easy to predict the past few years. I mean, was anyone really going out on a limb when they picked the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs to be the top three teams in the Atlantic right now?

The same can not be said for the Pacific Division. I don’t know if any of those teams are any good. The Vancouver Canucks rebuild is finally bearing fruit and they will be good in the future. The Vegas Golden Knights aren’t getting phenomenal goaltending anymore and suddenly look less invincible. The Edmonton Oilers have the two best players in the world but not much else. The Calgary Flames have been going with the same core for years that isn’t great. The Arizona Coyotes?

The three California teams are terrible. We do know that. But the other five teams in the division? They could finish first in the Pacific and go to the Western Conference Final or they could drop to 11th in the west before the postseason begins.

Figuring out who is going to do well in that division is difficult. Trying to decide what will happen in that division next year is impossible. That is why the Canadiens should be targeting the Pacific specifically and try to pry a first round pick out of the division, even if it is not until the 2021 NHL Draft.

The Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks already traded their firsts in the upcoming draft. The plan could backfire big time on the Coyotes who are barely hanging on to a playoff spot right now and have played more games than everyone else in the conference.

The division is a mess and promises to be a mess again next year. That’s why the Canadiens should try to acquire a first round pick from a Pacific Division team in 2021. Look at what is happening to the San Jose Sharks right now. They traded their 2020 first round pick for Erik Karlsson well over a year ago. They are one of the worst teams in the league now and are handing the Ottawa Senators a top five pick.

If the Canadiens acquire a first round pick in 2020 from a contender, they know it will be late in the draft. If they acquire a first round pick from a Pacific Division team in 2021, it could be anywhere in the opening round of the draft.

The Edmonton Oilers are the team that is most likely to move a future first round pick. They need a winger for Connor McDavid and could make a serious run this year if they fill that void. Of course, they are still the Edmonton Oilers so they could crash and burn next year.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 16: Jeff Petry #26 of the Montreal Canadiens in action against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on January 16, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Take advantage of injuries and get a haul for Jeff Petry

When the Canadiens traded Marco Scandella for a second round pick and possibly a fourth as well, they targeted a team that was desperate for help at a specific position and they set the asking price high. The Blues had just lost Jay Bouwmeester to a scary incident on the team’s bench where he collapsed and needed to be revived.

They needed to fill that void with someone who can play the left side. The Canadiens had acquired Scandella just six weeks earlier for a fourth round pick. But they weren’t as desperate as the Blues when they made the deal so they marked the price of Scandella way up and the Blues agreed to meet that asking price.

The Carolina Hurricanes are currently more desperate than the Blues. They lost Dougie Hamilton to a long-term injury and he could be out the rest of the season with a broken leg. On Saturday night, Brett Pesce appeared to dislocate his shoulder and will also be out long term. They are the Canes two best right defensemen.

That means the Hurricanes desperately need a right defenseman who can help the team immediately. They are sitting in the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference right now and do not have much room for error. If they are going to hold off the Columbus Blue Jackets and charging New York Rangers, they might need some help.

Enter Jeff Petry. He is a right shooting defender that excels at stepping up when players in front of him in the lineup are injured. He can play in all situations and is on pace for 47 points which would set a career high for the fourth straight year. He is signed through next season at $5.5 million which is not impossible to fit into a team’s cap.

The biggest reason for the Habs to make the trade is the Hurricanes desperation. They need Jeff Petry and they could possibly meet a huge asking price in order to get him.

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 26: Matt Dumba #24 of the Minnesota Wild skates against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on November 26, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Replace Petry with Matt Dumba

The Montreal Canadiens are clearly going to be sellers. And we just suggested they move Tatar for a 2021 first round pick and Jesse Puljujarvi out of Edmonton, then move the pairing of Petry and Kulak for a first round pick from Carolina as well as two of their best prospects in Jake Bean and Jamieson Rees.

Considering the Habs already have one of the best prospect pools in the league, this would make it undoubtedly the best one. The first question anyone ever asks me when I throw out the idea of trading Petry is: who plays second pairing next year?

My answer, as you can see is: Matt Dumba. The Minnesota Wild have been selling off pieces since last year. They traded Mikael Granlund last season for Kevin Fiala and also shipped Charlie Coyle to Boston for the younger Ryan Donato. This season they moved out Jason Zucker for picks and prospects.

It is pretty clear they are tearing things down. Rumours have it they are interested in moving out Matt Dumba as well. The 25 year old right shooting defender plays a physical style but can also bring plenty of offence to the table. He was off to a great start last year before being hurt and set a career high the previous season with 14 goals and 50 points.

The Calgary native is signed for three more years following this one at $6 million. He makes half a million more than Petry so the salary implications of swapping Petry for Dumba have a minimal impact. The Wild would want a huge return, but if the Habs can get their asking price for Petry, they could basically rearrange their assets without subtracting any depth from their prospect pool.

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