Montreal Canadiens: Three Realistic Trades Habs Need to Consider with Buffalo Sabres

Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin has a lot riding on this season. He pretty much went all in when he spent over $100 million of the owners money last offseason, in the midst of a global pandemic.

Then, when the Habs hit their first rough patch of the season, he fired head coach Claude Julien and assistant coach Kirk Muller. A few days later he also fired goalie coach Stephane Waite and replaced him with Sean Burke.

He hasn’t made any trades yet, but that will have to be his next maneuver.

Bergevin hasn’t been the wildest of dealers at trade deadlines recently. He likes to tinker a bit with a roster that appears headed to the playoffs, and he sells off the obvious veterans on expiring contracts when he is not going to qualify for the postseason. This year, with his job likely the next to be vacated if the Habs miss the postseason, we should see a slightly more aggressive general manager.

The trade deadline is still more than a month away, but Bergevin will likely be looking to make moves early. Any player acquired from outside Canada would need to quarantine in Montreal for two weeks before joining the team for practice. So, if he waits until the April 12 deadline to acquire a player, they won’t be eligible to play until the last handful of regular season games.

The Canadiens have been up and down this season, but surely look like buyers when you look at the Canadian Division.

One team that is certain to be a seller is the Buffalo Sabres who are struggling mightily once again. The thing about the Sabres is they have tons of individual talent, but don’t appear capable of putting it all together on the ice.

So, they are likely to sell off several assets. The Habs are one team that should be looking closely to see what they can land to help their team. Who could they target? Let’s take a look at three realistic trades that the Habs could make with the selling Sabres.