Montreal Canadiens: How To Move A Winger Who Isn’t Needed For A Defenceman Who Is

Toronto Maple Leafs

Once again, none of these trades are meant to be blockbuster deals. They are meant to remove an extra winger from the Canadiens roster and fill a big need on right defence that was vacated by Petry.

Why would the Habs be interested in this trade? Justin Holl makes a lot of sense for the Canadiens since he has played against tough competition before and would be expected to do that with the Habs. He could slot in on a second pairing with either Mike Matheson or Joel Edmundson, and help a rebuilding team kill penalties and limit chances against.

Why would the Leafs be interested in this trade? The Leafs find themselves pressed up against the salary cap, and also in a tough spot with Rasmus Sandin, a really good young player who wants to find a spot in the lineup. Holl is the team’s third right defender behind TJ Brodie and Timothy Liljegren and trading him could open that spot up for Sandin who could play with Mark Giordano.

Also, Pitlick is a skilled winger who adds a little more depth for the Leafs up front. He may not fit into the top six, though the Leafs have tried much worse players on the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander, but he could fill a void opened up by Ilya Mikheyev and Ondrej Kase leaving town.

Salary cap implications: It would save the Maple Leafs $900,000 in salary, and they are a team pinching every penny right now so that matters. The Canadiens take on the final year of Holl’s deal which has a $2 million cap hit, and would likely move him at the trade deadline for a decent pick in return.