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Montreal Canadiens: Five Best Trades Since 2000

By Ken MacMillan

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 30: Brendan Gallagher #11 of the Montreal Canadiens is congratulated by Shea Weber #6, Tomas Tatar #90, and Phillip Danault #24 after scoring against the Arizona Coyotes during the first period of the NHL game at Gila River Arena on October 30, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 30: Brendan Gallagher #11 of the Montreal Canadiens is congratulated by Shea Weber #6, Tomas Tatar #90, and Phillip Danault #24 after scoring against the Arizona Coyotes during the first period of the NHL game at Gila River Arena on October 30, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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CALGARY, AB – DECEMBER 19: Nick Suzuki #14 of the Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images)
CALGARY, AB – DECEMBER 19: Nick Suzuki #14 of the Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images) /

#5: Tie between Shea Weber for P.K. Subban and Max Domi for Alex Galchenyuk

I couldn’t choose which one of these trades was a better one for the Habs. I, like many Habs fans out there, hated both of them when Marc Bergevin pulled the trigger. Now, I can’t figure out which of them was one of the five best trades we have seen the Habs pull off in the past two decades.

So, I put them in here together as a tie. They are remarkably similar deals in a lot of ways. A couple of old school one-for-one deals. Two of the Habs building blocks from the day Bergevin arrived in Montreal were shipped out for players that seemed to have more question marks than the people who were leaving town.

Since the trade, Weber has proven to be an excellent two-way defender well into his thirties and Domi put together a career year in his first season with the Habs. Weber has battled a few injuries since showing up in Montreal and Domi had a down season this year, scoring 44 points in 71 games after having 72 in 82 a year ago.

However, the two players who left town, looked terrible this season. Subban was dealt to the New Jersey Devils a year ago after becoming too much cap hit to handle in Nashville. The 2013 Norris Trophy winner had 18 points in 68 games and Galchenyuk scored just eight goals and 24 points in 59 games. Clearly, Bergevin got rid of both of them just before their value completely plummeted.

#4: Tomas Tatar, Nick Suzuki and a 2nd Round Pick for Max Pacioretty

This was another trade pulled off by Bergevin, and it included a core piece he inherited leaving town. However, he once again got full value on the return. While Pacioretty had fit in well in Vegas, and would have set a career high in points, the handful of players the Habs for in exchange for moving out their captain in 2018 have been fantastic.

Tomas Tatar was only put in this deal because the Golden Knights wanted to get rid of him. He set a career high with 58 points in his first year in Montreal and was even better this year, scoring 61 points in 68 games before the league pressed pause. He has basically kept pace with Pacioretty, while costing the Habs a little more than half of Pacioretty’s $7 million cap hit.

Nick Suzuki has quickly turned into a budding star for the Habs. He dominated the OHL last season after being acquired by the Habs and got better and better as his rookie NHL season went along this year. The 20 year old had 41 points in 71 games, and showed glimpses of being a trusted two-way centre for the next decade or so in Montreal.

Evaluating draft picks acquired in trades is always tricky. Was it a steal of a trade if the pick turns out great? Does it make it a terrible trade if you get a first round pick in a deal and he doesn’t pan out years later?

Either way, the Habs getting a second round pick with Tatar and Suzuki made this great value. Flipping that pick for a third and fifth on the draft floor and taking Mattias Norlinder and Jacob Leguerrier with those picks has the potential to make this trade look even better for the Habs in the long term.

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