Montreal Canadiens Need to Target Maxime Comtois

The Montreal Canadiens are sure to be sellers over the next two weeks as we approach the March 21st trade deadline.

Veterans like Ben Chiarot, Brett Kulak and Mathieu Perreault are on expiring contracts and are sure to be dealt before the deadline whooshes past. Others like Jeff Petry, Artturi Lehkonen, and Mike Hoffman could see themselves shipped out like Tyler Toffoli, even though they have term left on their contracts.

Whether the players leaving town are pending free agents or not, the return is sure to be prospects and draft picks like it was when Toffoli moved to the Calgary Flames. But young NHL roster players should be looked at as well and one in Anaheim would make a lot of sense.

Maxime Comtois is apparently a name that is being talked about on the trade market at the moment. His name was mentioned on Hockey Night in Canada’s second intermission on Saturday night by Jeff Marek of Sportsnet.

That was an interesting name to see thrown into the mix with just two weeks to go until the trade deadline.

Comtois is a 23 year old left winger who is having a difficult season for the Anaheim Ducks. He was drafted in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft and had a terrific Junior career in the QMJHL with the Victoriaville Tigres and Drummondville Voltigeurs. He scored 75 goals and 133 points in 79 games combined over his final two seasons of Junior.

He showed a lot of potential last season, leading the Anaheim Ducks in scoring with 33 points in 55 games at the age of 22. However, he has just seven points in 32 games this season, has moved down the lineup, isn’t getting power play time and has even been a healthy scratch at times for the Ducks.

A trade to the Canadiens would not guarantee a bounce back for the Longueuil, Quebec native, but he would be well worth the risk.

His trade value is certainly not as high as it would have been at the end of last season, but the Ducks are not going to give Comtois away. They are also in a bit of an odd spot right now with veterans like Ryan Getzlaf, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson and Rickard Rakell all on expiring contracts. There have been plenty of rumours of possible trades of Rakell, Manson and Lindholm, which would help propel a rebuild for a team that already has one of the best groups of prospects in the NHL.

It also makes it hard to imagine what they would want in a trade for Comtois. Draft picks? More prospects for the rebuild? NHL ready talent that can fill the voids opened up by other trades?

It is possible he plays out the rest of his career as a big, but underwhelming bottom six winger. It is also possible that he builds on what we say last season and he turns into a left-shooting mirror image of Josh Anderson. At 6’2″ and well over 200 pounds, he has the size, skill and shot to be a terrific top six winger.

He certainly hasn’t shown it this season, and if that means the Ducks are ready to deal, the Canadiens should be first in line to acquire the Quebec native.

A change of scenery may be needed, so wouldn’t familiar scenery in his home province be the best bet for his long term success in the NHL?

The hard part is nailing down what it would cost the Canadiens. If the Ducks want picks and prospects, the Habs are loaded with them and have Jan Mysak, who has played on a line with Ducks top prospect Mason McTavish with the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Maybe the Ducks want someone more NHL ready that can replace the outgoing veterans. Well, the Canadiens could put Jeff Petry on the table in a bigger deal, or possibly Artturi Lehkonen, depending on what the Ducks are looking for in return.

It will be interesting to see what the Canadiens are able to do between now and the deadline. One thing for sure is they should keep an eye out for undervalued, young NHL players and Comtois certainly fits that description.

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