A Winning Habit
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Montreal Canadiens: Hypothetical Habs Trade With Every Central Division Team

By Ken MacMillan

BUFFALO, NY - FEBRUARY 23: Nikolaj Ehlers (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - FEBRUARY 23: Nikolaj Ehlers (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 23: Brandon Saad. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 23: Brandon Saad. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens had very similar seasons in 2019-20. They had flashes where things were clicking and they looked good. They had stretches where things didn’t look good at all. They snuck into the postseason as 12th seeds because the league wanted big markets involved. They actually won the play-in series. They lost in the actual first round of the playoffs.

When you put all of that together, it was a pretty remarkably odd season for the Montreal Canadiens. The fact another team did the exact same thing is stranger still.

Anyway, where does that leave these teams going forward? Does finishing 12th in their conference tell them they are no good and they need to rebuild? Does winning a play-in series against a team that was far ahead of them in the standings tell them they are closer than the standings suggest?

It is hard to say what the Blackhawks will do, but the Habs have added some depth to their defence already and a veteran backup goaltender to give them an excellent tandem. It seems like they are trying to win next season.

The Hawks? They might need to move a few contracts out to make room for the next wave that is coming. They need to re-sign Dylan Strome, 30 goal scorer Dominik Kubalik and find a goaltender this offseason. They have about $8 million to complete those tasks.

Marc Bergevin likes to add players he helped draft when he was part of the management team in Chicago before taking over as Habs general manager. He traded for Phillip Danault and Andrew Shaw. He also likes players who have won Stanley Cups and play with a little grit.

So, he is definitely going to trade for Brandon Saad, right? He was drafted in the second round by Chicago when Bergevin was their assistant GM. Plays a grinding style. Won two Cups. Has one year left on his deal at $6 million per but scored 20 goals in his sleep while playing wither wing. he would be a great addition, but the Hawks aren’t giving him away.

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