Canadiens: Early Trade Deadline Ideas For Selling

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The Montreal Canadiens were playing Stanley Cup Final games just six weeks ago, so it seems a bit odd to be looking forward to next year’s trade deadline.

But it has been six weeks since we have seen them play, and it will be another five more before we are in the midst of the preseason schedule. So, why not take a quick peek ahead and see what could happen at the 2022 trade deadline?

First, we have to consider that the upcoming season could go a couple of different ways for the Montreal Canadiens. For now, we are just going to look at the possibility of them becoming sellers. We will take a deeper look at potential trade targets in another article tomorrow.

It is possible that the Canadiens fall back in their tough division and miss the postseason altogether after their lengthy run. There is no doubt the Habs benefitted from being in a weaker division than usual and they still just snuck into the playoffs. We could see this team sitting fifth in their division with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of them.

If that is the case, I would expect Bergevin to just ship out expiring contracts for draft picks like we saw him do in the past. In 2020, the Canadiens were well outside the playoff picture and Bergevin dealt recent acquisitions Ilya Kovalchuk and Marco Scandella as well as Nick Cousins, Nate Thompson and even Matthew Peca who was playing in the minors.

Who could they trade away next season? What could they get in return for players currently on their roster? Let’s take a closer look.

Jun 14, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

Selling the Defence

The last time the Canadiens were sellers at the trade deadline was in 2020 and Marc Bergevin was a busy general manager that year. He traded away just about anyone that had an expiring contract and he only asked for draft picks in return. If the Canadiens find themselves outside of the playoff picture once again this season, I’d expect a similar approach.

So, who would be gone, and what could they expect in return?

Ben Chiarot

Chiarot showed in 2020 and then proved in 2021 that he can be a big minute defenceman on a playoff team that goes on a deep run. He played on the Canadiens top pairing and also took on a huge role on the penalty kill. The 6’3″ and 234 pound left shot averaged 25:15 per game in the Habs run to the Stanley Cup Final. The Canadiens could get a late 1st round pick for Chiarot who will be in the last year of his contract with a reasonable cap hit of $3.5 million.

Brett Kulak

Kulak played a smaller role than Chiarot in the postseason run, but proved to be a valuable depth piece for the Canadiens. The 27 year old left shot defenceman puts up excellent advanced stats on a consistent basis and would catch the eye of any team that focuses on those metrics. If he can reclaim a regular spot in the Habs top six after being pushed down the lineup by trade deadline acquisitions Jon Merrill and Erik Gustafsson, Kulak could fetch a 3rd round pick in return for the Canadiens at the trade deadline.

Xavier Ouellet

The trade deadline is a busy day and not every single trade is a blockbuster deal. Some teams just want to add veteran minor league depth in case there is a number of injuries and they have to dig really deep for a call up. Xavier Ouellet played just fine in the 2020 postseason, and could become a contending team’s Plan Z. He is a terrific veteran for the Laval Rocket, but he could be a UFA in July 2022 so if the Canadiens are selling, it is possible they exhaust all options and move Ouellet for a 7th round pick.

Jun 24, 2021; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens Artturi Lehkonen Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /

Cedric Paquette

Paquette joins the Habs this offseason and will provide reliable defensive minutes from the fourth line centre position. He doesn’t add a ton offensively as he never reached the 20 point plateau, but if he can play at the same level he has with the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning in the past he could be dealt for a 6th round pick before the deadline.

Mathieu Perreault

Perreault adds a little bit of everything to the Canadiens lineup. He has some skill and can play with good players, but he also has a lot of physicality to his game. He played the last seven seasons with the Winnipeg Jets and the 33 year old earned quite a reputation as one of the most hated players to play against. He has scored at about a 30 point pace recently and could be dealt for a 3rd round pick.

Artturi Lehkonen

Lehkonen is the only player on this list that is not an unrestricted free agent following the 2021-22 season. He will be a restricted free agent, but one year away from hitting the open market if he wishes. The two sides agreed to a one year contract at $2.3 million for this season and the defensive wizard is worth every penny. He hasn’t developed much of an offensive game, scoring seven goals and 13 points in 47 regular season games last season. Still, the 26 year old would have great value at the trade deadline due to his shutdown and penalty killing abilities. Getting a 2nd round pick wouldn’t be out of the question, especially from a team in the division that know exactly what he brings to the table.

In total, that would be Chiarot, Lehkonen, Perreault, Kulak, Paquette and Ouellet heading out the door and the total return would be 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 6th and 7th round picks. That would be a pretty good haul for a handful of players who are mostly depth pieces on the roster.

Next. Petry, Gallagher contracts looking like bargains. dark

Hopefully the Canadiens go on another long playoff run in 2022, but if they are sellers, there is a chance to find a silver lining by loading up on draft picks for the 2022 NHL Draft which is going to be held at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

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