Montreal Canadiens: Could Habs Take Advantage Of Desperate Division Rivals?

The Montreal Canadiens have been dealing with a logjam of forwards since the beginning of the season. Having too many NHL caliber forwards isn’t really a problem.

The problem arises when the team is rebuilding and many of the NHL caliber forwards are overpaid and would be depth players on a contending team. The Habs have been rumoured to be interested in reducing the number of forwards but are yet to find a taker in a trade.

With the way the team’s young defence has played, and the injuries occurring to other teams, could the Habs actually trade a defender first?

A couple of teams right inside the Habs division are becoming sort of desperate for help on defence. The Ottawa Senators started the season with high hopes but aren’t getting enough from their blue line, have been without Thomas Chabot and just lost Jacob Bernard-Docker to injury as well.

In Toronto, the Maple Leafs may be without Jake Muzzin for the entire season. They have also been dealing with the absence of TJ Brodie which is dragging on longer than anticipated and Morgan Rielly was just placed on long-term injured reserve.

The Canadiens have been pleasantly surprised by the play of several young defenders. Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris, Jonathan Kovacevic and Arber Xhekaj have all performed well above expectations and deserve a regular spot in the lineup.

However, with veterans Mike Matheson, David Savard, Joel Edmundson and Chris Wideman also in the organization, there are just too many deserving defenders to play everyone on a given night.

Could the Canadiens trade one of those veteran defenders to create more ice time for the young players? Last night, Xhekaj and Kovacevic sat out as healthy scratches, but their play really hasn’t warranted a benching.

There is no guarantee that all the rookies will continue to play well for a full 82 game season. But the Canadiens aren’t planning on contending this season anyway so the experience gained by young players would outweigh the losses that may or may not pile up in February and March.

Especially when you consider the team’s that are most desperate for defenders right now are division rivals. The Habs could help their rivals in the short term, but gain long term in the form of prospects or draft picks.

With defensive defenders like Muzzin and Brodie out, wouldn’t the Maple Leafs like to have an experienced defender like Edmundson? If Muzzin is gone for the season, Edmundson is a similar type of player who could slide into that role.

Making a trade with the cap-strapped Leafs isn’t simple, as they can’t take on any additional money or contracts since they are at the maximum of 50. What if the Habs help them out by retaining $1.25 million of Edmundson’s $3.5 million cap hit and agree to take back struggling Pierre Envgall in the trade?

Engvall will be a UFA after this season and is earning $2.25 million this season. If the Habs retain $1.25 million of Edmundson’s money, there is no change in either team’s cap calculations. It would help fill a hole on the Leafs blue line, while helping the Leafs rid themselves of a problem up front as well.

The Canadiens may not be able to land a top prospect or a 1st round pick for Edmundson, but look at what they landed for Ben Chiarot last season. Surely the Leafs remember Edmundson pairing with Jeff Petry to help beat the Leafs in a playoff series not long ago. That has to be worth something interesting for a team that is missing its three best defencemen right now.

The Senators are missing a couple of defenders as well, and were already looking to add a veteran player on the blue line at the start of the season. They don’t have the same cap problems to deal with, and could use someone on the right side to pair with a young lefty like Chabot or Jake Sanderson or Erik Brannstrom.

Would they be interested in David Savard who can play big minutes in a defensive role? He is signed for two more years after this season, but the Sens could lose Artem Zub and Travis Hamonic to free agency and need a veteran right defender to play with their impressive young defenders.

Again, the price would not be a top prospect or 1st round pick, but the Habs could ask for a second rounder or a prospect that isn’t a sure thing but does still have a high ceiling.

You don’t often see trades made by division rivals, but with the situation the two Ontario teams find themselves in, and the Habs looking to create more minutes for their young defencemen, it would make a lot of sense for the Canadiens to trade with their division foes in the coming days.

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