Montreal Canadiens: Cautious Approach at Trade Deadline Was Correct

Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin could have gone in several directions as the trade deadline approached earlier this week.

His team made several moves in the offseason to bolster their lineup and improve their chances of a deep playoff run in 2021. Their regular season has been okay, as they sit comfortably inside the playoff picture.

However, they are a long way from the to of the division and will need to play extremely well down the stretch to even have a chance at finishing third.

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With the team firmly inside a playoff spot, it didn’t make a lot of sense to sell anything at the trade deadline. Of course, that 5-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets two nights before the deadline had some fans thinking he may as well trade everyone. Of course that wasn’t the route he was going to take after investing so much in this team over the offseason.

However, sitting so far back of the Jets, Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs made it unwise to sell off top prospects and high draft picks for rental players. It would have been nice to add Taylor Hall, but even at the cost of a second round pick and a young NHL player, would it have made sense?

Maybe.

Would it have made sense to cough up a first round pick for a bigger fish like Anthony Mantha or … Nick Foligno? Uhh, no it would not have.

Mantha would have been great in Montreal, but that package the Washington Capitals gave up to get him was ridiculous. First and second round picks as well as a talented young winger in Jakub Vrana and a depth piece in Richard Panik.

Giving up a first round pick for a gritty winger like Foligno wouldn’t have made any sense for the Canadiens either.

However, they didn’t stand pat. Bergevin traded third and fifth round picks in the upcoming NHL Draft for Eric Staal. He gave up a fifth round pick and Hayden Verbeek for defensive stalwart Jon Merrill. He added offensive defenceman Erik Gustafsson for a seventh round pick in 2022.

This has given the Habs one more NHL caliber centre and two more defensemen who can handle NHL minutes. Merrill is all defence and Gustafsson is all offence, but they give the team a few more options to use on the blue line.

Even though they gave up four picks in these trades, the Canadiens still have 11 draft picks heading into the 2021 NHL Draft and have their entire slate of picks in future drafts as well.

With the Canadiens sitting right in the middle of the Canadian Division, this was the right approach. Add a few depth pieces but keep all of the team’s prospects and most desirable draft picks. They still have two second rounders, two third rounders and three fourth rounders in the 2021 NHL Draft. It’s not quite time to really go for it, but anything can happen in the NHL Playoffs.

They also have a pretty deep team heading into the postseason. A job well done by Marc Bergevin.