Montreal Canadiens: 3 players that could be traded in 2022-23
By Tyler Kotila
The Montreal Canadiens may be in a position to make some trades this season. While they have a couple of expiring contracts, they also have some desirable players. Whether out of nowhere or at the trade deadline, they should be able to make some moves.
With Kent Hughes sticking his neck out with the Montreal Canadiens, do not be surprised to see some moves get made. There are players and assets the Habs can part ways with; the question is if these players will excel and drive up their value.
There will be players to shop, and the Habs are probably already starting to figure out how to decipher which assets are expendable. Here are a few names the Habs should consider trying to part ways with.
All three of these players are forwards. Two have expiring deals, and one is signed through the 2023-24 season with another year to go. It will be interesting to see how the Canadiens handle prospective trades, but here are three players they could consider moving.
Montreal Canadiens forward Evgenii Dadonov is trade bait.
The Montreal Canadiens have a couple of options, and Evgenii Dadonov is one of them. First off, he’s on an expiring contract, so the Habs will lose him after the 2022-23 season either way. He’s a nine-year veteran of the NHL at this point and might prove to be a nice depth piece for a contender.
The talk around the Habs keeps pointing to them being a rebuilding team near the bottom of the barrel. However, he’s got to perform well to get eyes on him. So far, Dadonov has played in all five games but has yet to accrue a point.
He’s been pretty quiet offensively and overall, for that matter. He’s averaged just 13:19 of ice time so far and has not really been someone whos out there often and getting the job done. He was acquired this summer when the Habs offloaded Shea Weber’s contract to the Vegas Golden Knights.
He will have to get things going to really play himself into more value on the trade market. It’s doable, but he’s got to be better for him to garner value. The Habs should be looking for opportunities to trade Dadonov.