The Montreal Canadiens season is not going to end with a miraculous run to the Stanley Cup Final again this season.
The NHL Playoffs have looked differently over the past two seasons with Canadian Divisions and play-in rounds and expanded postseasons.
It helped the Canadiens immensely and they took advantage as they beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights in playoff series in an 11 month span.
It won’t be happening this season. The NHL could expand to a 30-team postseason and the Canadiens would be one of the two teams on the outside looking in when the playoffs began. Of course, we are hoping for a more normal postseason in 2022, but whatever the format ends up being, there is no question the Canadiens will not be taking part.
That means the team will be sellers in the next two months as we head toward the trade deadline. They already have a new Vice President of Hockey Operations in Jeff Gorton and should have a new general manager in the next few weeks.
Whoever that is will need to start working the phones quickly to try and sell off some assets and get a gameplay ready for the March 21st trade deadline.
Who do the Canadiens have to offer up to contending teams? And, more importantly for Habs fans, what kind of return can they expect for these players?
Let’s take a look at their top five trade chips and what kind of packages the Canadiens could be adding in the next two months.