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Habs Trade Deadline Takeaways

By Sebastian Valasek

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JULY 07: Montreal Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes and head coach Martin St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens talk prior to Round One of the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 07, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JULY 07: Montreal Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes and head coach Martin St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens talk prior to Round One of the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 07, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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3. The Atlantic Division is Loading Up

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 02: Jakob Chychrun #6 of the Ottawa Senators skates against the New York Rangers during the first period at Madison Square Garden on March 02, 2023 in New York City. The Senators defeated the Rangers 5-3. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 02: Jakob Chychrun #6 of the Ottawa Senators skates against the New York Rangers during the first period at Madison Square Garden on March 02, 2023 in New York City. The Senators defeated the Rangers 5-3. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

And it looks to stay that way for years. Virtually every single team in the division is making moves in order to stay competitive or get competitive. The usual trio of Boston, Tampa Bay, and Toronto have unsurprisingly all used the trade deadline as an opportunity to gear up for what will be a bloodbath on the Eastern side of the playoff bracket. Even our neighbour over the provincial border, the Ottawa Senators, has demonstrated that they hope to compete in the playoffs, maybe as early as this year, with the massive addition of Jakob Chychrun to their defence.

The Detroit Red Wings, in what has been a very strange week for them, seem to be accepting their fate as an onlooker of this year’s tournament. They instead appear to be shifting their prime window a couple of years into the future (coinciding with Montreal’s) with the acquisition of some high draft picks. Buffalo’s young core seems poised to be competitive for years to come. The Florida Panthers are the only team in the division in an undesirable spot (certainly no thanks to their Ben Chiarot acquisition). However, even they still have some impressive young talent. The Montreal Canadiens’ eventual re-entry into the playoffs will not come easily, let alone some series wins. They appear to be in hockey’s toughest division for the better part of the next decade.

Next. Report: Canadiens to Have A Quiet Deadline. dark

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