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Montreal Canadiens: The Many Candidates to Form an Elite Line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield

By Ken MacMillan

May 27, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Montreal Canadiens Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
May 27, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Montreal Canadiens Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 19, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Jonathan Marchessault. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Jonathan Marchessault. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

Trade Options

Sometimes trying to fill holes via free agency gets too costly. And sometimes players just don’t want to sign with Montreal and donate a hefty portion of their paycheque to the provincial government where taxes are much higher than most other areas in North America.

Jonathan Marchessault

A Cap-Rouge, Quebec native would be an interesting target for the Montreal Canadiens. Of course, it also helps that Jonathan Marchessault is capable of scoring  at a point per game pace and is a legit first line winger. He has scored 29 goals and 63 points in 70 games this season, but the Vegas Golden Knights are in some very difficult cap trouble and need to move someone. If Marchessault is on the block with just two years of term on his contract at $5 million, it would make a lot of sense for the Canadiens to offer a younger, cheaper player like Rem Pitlick or a 50% salary retained Drouin for Marchessault.

Kevin Fiala

Speaking of cap-strapped, the Minnesota Wild are about to have two players who no longer play for them taking up a combined $12.7 million. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter were bought out by the Wild, but have enormous buyout penalties for next season. As a result, they might not be able to re-sign Kevin Fiala who is an RFA and has 73 points in 75 games this season. The 25 year old is due a huge payday, and would cost a lot of picks and prospects to acquire, but he could fit on that top line for the next half decade at least.

Maxime Comtois

Maybe the Canadiens management team doesn’t want to give up what it would take to acquire a player like Fiala. A younger player coming off a bad year like Maxime Comtois would come a lot cheaper, but provide plenty of potential. Comtois has an intriguing combination of size and skill, but has struggled this season to just 12 points in 47 games. He had 33 points in 55 games a year ago as a 22 year old so there is still plenty of potential. It wouldn’t cost a ton since he hasn’t performed this season, but there is a lot of upside in the second round pick.

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