Five Players Guaranteed To Be Moved By The Trade Deadline

The trade deadline is inching closer and Kent Hughes has been given a much more enviable task than one can imagine. Being named the General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens comes with it’s overwhelming and exaggerated amount of pressure, but despite the gargantuan disappointment that is the 2021-22 season, Hughes and ultimately Jeff Gorton are given the opportunity that any administrator envies that that’s to build a team in their image.

Blow it up, so to speak.

Mind you, a typical rebuild in Montreal might not be an option. By typical of course we mean years of basement dwelling and stacking up on high draft picks. The thought of Connor Bedard wearing the Canadiens’ tri-color sweater is appealing, but having to sit through another uninspiring losing season – not so much.

Hughes has mentioned that he is looking to have a modern coach who will be a leader and have a hard focus on a team driven by puck possession and speed. What exactly a “modern coach” means is up for interpretation, but with the constant evolution of the game, highlighting speed and possession is a given.

While the likes of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Alexander Romanov and most likely young veterans like Josh Anderson and Tyler Toffoli will remain part of the future core, here’s a look at 5 players who are pretty much guaranteed to be traded by the March 21st deadline.