Montreal Canadiens: Trade Deadline Preview

The 2023 NHL trade deadline is fast approaching, and the Montreal Canadiens are one team many people will be keeping a close eye on. In his first trade deadline last season, Kent Hughes was a very busy man, moving out Tyler Toffoli, Ben Chiarot, and Artturi Lehkonen, amongst others. The Canadiens are likely to remain sellers yet again, but there are questions about who could be on the move, and what the return for those players looks like.

The biggest names to keep an eye on would be Sean Monahan and Joel Edmundson, two players who, when healthy, with a good reputation around the league. On playoff teams, they could both be solid additions to round out a team’s middle six and bottom four, providing depth and experience. Then you have some other names, like Evgenii Dadonov and Jonathan Drouin, that don’t seem to have the reputation but can up their trade value over the next few weeks with strong performances.

The big name to keep an eye on is Josh Anderson, someone who Kent Hughes has said he doesn’t want to trade but would do it for the right price. Anderson is a high-energy player that many teams would love to have on their team come playoff time. The challenge is fitting his $5.5 million salary into a team, a task much easier said than done. But the Habs could be willing to take a bad contract back to make it work, or they could wait until the off-season if they even trade Anderson at all. Anderson is nowhere close to being a UFA, as he has four years left on his current deal.

So let’s break down exactly what the Canadiens could do on February 3rd (or earlier), starting with the most realistic options.

First, let’s preface this by saying that health is crucial for the Canadiens over the next few weeks. Both Edmundson and Monahan have missed significant time due to injuries, not just this season but in their careers. Edmundson hasn’t played since January 26th, and Monahan hasn’t played since January 5th. It’s hard to garner interest in guys who can’t stay on the ice.  The good news is it appears as though Monahan is close to returning after ditching the non-contact jersey for practice on Friday.

If both players can return to the ice soon and play well for that short stretch, the Canadiens should be able to facilitate a deal for them. In the games Monahan has played in, he’s been excellent, putting up 17 points in 25 games. That’s great production for a guy Calgary had to trade a first-round pick with to move. And while he was injured, it was not related to the hip issues Monahan had previously suffered with, a good sign for his long-term health and something that shouldn’t scare off many teams.

As for Edmundson, he’s missed time on multiple occasions this season, a worrying sight. That isn’t something that is going to attract a lot of teams, but his play on the ice could. When healthy, Edmundson is a big defenseman, capable of killing penalties and clearing the front of the net. Edmundson also won a Stanley Cup in 2019 with the Blues and went to the Cup finals again in 2021 with the Canadiens. So he’s got plenty of experience in the playoffs, which is a huge plus for anyone looking at adding him.

Currently, it appears to be a buyer’s market, meaning teams acquiring assets appear to be giving up less than last year. However, that could change as we near the deadline and the market continues to heat up. I wouldn’t expect a Ben Chiarot-like return for Joel Edmundson this year, though, especially with the injury concerns. However, Edmundson does still have a year left on his contract, so the Canadiens don’t have to move him.

Luckily for Montreal in regards to Monahan, two big-name centreman have already come off the board in Bo Horvat and Ryan O’Reilly. This could mean teams in the market for a centre start getting a little desperate and feel the need to “up the ante” to avoid being left shorthanded. In addition, Monahan is on an expiring deal, and the Canadiens could easily retain 50% of his salary to make him even more attractive to teams.

The Canadiens would be wise to add another first-round pick to their embarrassment of riches, especially for 2023, a much stronger draft than last year’s. If the Canadiens were going to make moves between now and the deadline, Monahan and Edmundson would surely be two names to keep an eye on. They might not be the likeliest to go, but they would be the most likely to be moved while also fetching a significant return.

There is a long list of players in Montreal that would’ve been considered trade pieces at the start of the year. Now, four months later, the list of players likely to be moved isn’t quite as long. Sure, the Canadiens would like to move a lot of these guys, but in order for that to happen, someone has to be willing to take them. Evgenii Dadonov is at the top of the list. At the start of the year, Dadonov was coming off a season where he scored 20 goals for the fourth time in five years. This year, he’s lit the lamp just four times total.

The Canadiens acquired Dadonov for Shea Weber…s contract and were likely looking for an opportunity to flip him at this year’s deadline. That’s still possible, but at this rate, it won’t be a needle-moving trade if it does happen. Instead, we’re likely looking at a mid to late-round pick return, which would still be a positive return while also being underwhelming based on what he could’ve fetched had he scored more. There was potential for so much more. Personally, I think on a playoff team, Dadonov could still be a solid contributor on the wing, but it’s a big gamble to give up valuable assets for a player with just four goals this season.

Another player in the category of, could go, could stay, is Jonathan Drouin. Drouin is in the last year of his contract, and we could see him get moved at a retained salary. But it doesn’t sound as though there is a ton of interest in him to this point. Some teams may be interested, but the return isn’t likely to excite anyone, even if that was the case. Drouin is heating up as of late, with 12 assists in his last 13 games, but with zero goals on the year, he’s most likely not catching the eye of GMs from around the league.

The list of tradeable players for the Habs just isn’t particularly long this year, in large part because of how young the squad is. With numerous rookies seeing playing time and the team continuing to rebuild, there are only so many players likely to be moved as it is. Not to mention, the Canadiens would still want a veteran presence in the locker room. It really doesn’t help that so few players are having a good year. So that really only leaves one player left.

NHL GMs love Josh Anderson and what he can bring to their team. There are only so many power forwards in the league, and not many of them can skate like Anderson. When he’s on his game, he’s a fierce competitor, and he seems to come alive in big games and against the Habs’ biggest rivals. It’s why Kent Hughes has seen many teams call him regarding Anderson’s availability.

Hughes doesn’t want to move Anderson but could if the right deal came along. And as we have seen before, if you wait long enough, it usually does, especially as teams continue to try and outbid each other. The issue is, can many teams afford it?

As if Montreal and Calgary haven’t traded with one another enough over the last year, the Flames are reportedly interested in Anderson. As it stands right now, Calgary can’t afford Josh Anderson without shedding some salary first, but the Canadiens could help with that by taking back a bad contract like Milan Lucic and his $5.25 million cap hit. Lucic would need to waive his no-trade clause to make it work though, which may add a wrinkle to things. Nevertheless, here is a mock trade that I think could change Hughes’ mind about not moving Anderson.

It’s a steep price for Calgary, but after the off-season they just had, there might be enough pressure building that Flames GM Brad Treliving feels he needs to do something dire. The Canadiens would add a young French prospect and a first-round pick this year while also adding a veteran on an expiring deal. The Habs would still have two other fourth-rounders in the 2023 draft despite parting with a fourth-round pick here. The Flames would get an upgrade over Lucic with a much better power forward who might thrive in Darryl Sutter’s system.