The Montreal Canadiens Have To Trade A Forward Now, Right?

The Montreal Canadiens made a few big splashes on night one of the 2022 NHL Draft. They selected left winger Juraj Slafkovsky with the first overall pick.

They also traded Alexander Romanov and a couple of later picks for Kirby Dach who was the third overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He has played the past three seasons for the Blackhawks but they were apparently looking to trade everyone as Alex DeBrincat was also dealt for picks.

The Canadiens now have to re-sign Dach who gives them depth down the middle and will immediately step into a second or third line role with the Canadiens.

Slafkovsky performed well at the Olympics and World Championships, signalling that he could be ready for an NHL role immediately. If he is, and Dach surely is, that gives the Canadiens two more NHL ready forwards.

This would leave them well stocked up front. Perhaps, a little too stocked up front. Not that they are busting at the seams with elite level first line players, but the Canadiens just have too many NHL level forwards. This could definitely lead to a trade today, if not in the very near future.

If Slafkovsky is ready, and having already acquired Evgeni Dadonov this offseason, the Canadiens lineup could look like this next season:

Slafkovsky – Suzuki – Caufield

Dadonov – Dach – Anderson

Drouin – Dvorak – Gallagher

R. Pitlick – Evans – Hoffman

That leaves Paul Byron, Ryan Poehling and Joel Armia on the outside looking in at a healthy roster. Not to mention younger players like Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Jesse Ylonen who could be ready to make this roster full time this season. Even if we ignore those two Laval Rocket wingers, that’s 15 players that played in the NHL full time last season.

That doesn’t work. Even if Slafkovsky heads to the minors, you would have to scratch Byron and Poehling on opening night if the roster is healthy. That’s not idea either.

I would fully expect the Canadiens to trade another forward, or maybe even two, long before training camp begins. Maybe that is Rem Pitlick for a later pick today, maybe it is Joel Armia or Mike Hoffman to save about $3.5 million in cap space. Maybe it is Poehling or Evans since they are younger and centres so they would have more value.

With Suzuki, Dvorak and Dach in place, the Canadiens are pretty much locked in down the middle for the foreseeable future. Of course, they could now move Dvorak and go with Suzuki, Dach, Poehling and Evans at centre.

Who knows? Everything is likely on the table right now when it comes to forwards. We know the team is going to build its forward group around Caufield, Suzuki, Dach and Slafkovsky. Anyone else is expendable for the right price.

Will someone meet it today? We will soon find out as day two of the NHL Draft is set to begin.

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