The Montreal Canadiens have been battling through a very difficult season.
Injuries, illnesses, absences and unexpectedly poor performances have contributed to sink the Canadiens to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Their chances of making the 2022 playoffs sailed months ago and their hopes of another surprising postseason run are long gone.
The Canadiens status as sellers is not up for debate as we head towards the trade deadline on March 21st.
New general manager Kent Hughes already started the sell off as he dealt Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames. The return for Toffoli was a first round pick, a prospect named Emil Heineman, a later round pick and a depth forward piece to help with the number of team contracts and salary cap management for the Flames.
A veteran winger traded for picks and prospects is exactly the type of trade a team sitting near the bottom of the standings makes before a trade deadline.
The Canadiens are sure to make a few more similar trades before the deadline. Ben Chiarot, Brett Kulak, Chris Wideman, Mathieu Perreault and Cedric Paquette are all unrestricted free agents following this season and are likely to be dealt.
Jeff Petry and Artturi Lehkonen have also had their names thrown around in the rumour mill and could be on their way out of town any day now.
But, the Canadiens should also be looking to take advantage of a unique trade market and do a little buying as well.
There are a handful of young players on the trade market for one reason or another this season, and the Canadiens should be looking to sell veterans, acquire assets, and then immediately flip some of those assets for these young players.