Montreal Canadiens: Three Possible Casey DeSmith Trade Scenarios

The Montreal Canadiens were not expected to add much during the free agent period and they really did not. As a slowly rebuilding team they just were not looking to spend big money on newcomers since they are not ready to contend.

That is why it was surprising to see them add Jeff Petry and Casey DeSmith in a shocking trade last week. The headliner of the deal was Erik Karlsson going from the San Jose Sharks to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the Canadiens got involved to ensure all the financials worked out.

Oh, and they also received a second round pick and prospect Nathan Legare for taking on the salaries of Petry and DeSmith. While a case could be made that Petry can serve as a mentor to some of the younger players and play serviceable minutes on the team’s second defense pairing, there really isn’t a spot for DeSmith.

The Canadiens already had Sam Montembeault and Jake Allen under contract for next season. Cayden Primeau is also in the organization and he will require waivers for the first time in his career before being sent down to the American Hockey League, so the crease was fairly crowded before DeSmith ever arrived.

That would signal a trade is likely to occur before the season begins. Jakub Dobes signed out of college and will make his professional debut this season, and he won’t be sharing time with Primeau and DeSmith in the AHL with the Laval Rocket. Someone is going to be on the move and it will likely be DeSmith.

The 32 year old did not have his best NHL season in 2022-23, but proved to be a very reliable backup option in the two previous seasons. Who could be interested in adding an insurance policy? Let’s take a look at three teams who could acquire DeSmith.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning are in on just about everything and seem to offer more than anyone else to get players they really want. I wouldn’t expect them to offer a handful of picks for DeSmith, but there is a case to be made that they would benefit from acquiring the Canadiens newest netminder.

Of course, the Lightning have Andrei Vasilevskiy so they are not hoping to land a new started. They did also add Jonas Johansson to be their backup, but he is far from a proven piece. In fact, he played only three NHL games with the Colorado Avalanche and was in the AHL for his other 26 starts.

The 27 year old did play well in those three NHL games and was great in the AHL, posting a 2.33 GAA and a .920 SV%. But he really struggled in 11 NHL games in 2021-22 posting a 4.69 GAA and a .856 SV%.  So there are some questions about his ability to be a reliable backup.

Also, the Lightning don’t really have another option in the minors. Hugo Alnefelt figures to get the bulk of the starts for the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, but the 22 year old is not likely ready for NHL duty quite yet.

Cap space is always an issue which is why a trade of DeSmith would make more sense for the Lightning just as the season is set to begin. DeSmith would actually have more value for the Lightning if he already passed through waivers and then was eligible to be sent to the minors.

The Lightning would not be interested in claiming DeSmith with his $1.8 million cap hit. However, if he passed through waivers, the Canadiens could then retain half and trade him to the Lightning as a $900,000 cap hit that can be sent to the minors and actually not cost anything against the cap unless he is needed on the NHL roster.

It is the Lightning, so if DeSmith passes through waivers and the Canadiens retain 50% of his cap hit, it would make sense for Tampa Bay to offer up a 6th and 7th round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft for DeSmith.

Ottawa Senators

The team that could really use DeSmith the most is the division rival Ottawa Senators. They are a team that believes they are ready to compete for a playoff spot, and have solidified their forwards and defense recently by adding Vladimir Tarasenko and Jakob Chychrun to an impressive group of young players.

One place they do still have questions is in goal. They did sign Joonas Korpisalo to be the team’s starter, and should have Anton Forsberg as the backup which gives them a solid pairing in goal.

However, Forsberg is coming off an odd double MCL tear when he was crashed into by Zach Hyman and Travis Hamonic. He should be healthy and ready to go, but it is an awkward injury to come back from. An insurance policy would not be the worst thing to have in house.

The Senators do have three other goaltenders under contract for the upcoming season, but all three of them – Kevin Mandolese, Mads Sogard and Leevi Merilainen struggled when given opportunity at the NHL level last season.

In total, the Senators used seven different goaltenders last season due to injuries and performance. That alone should be enough reason for the organization to think they could use a goalie with some quality NHL starts under his belt like DeSmith.

The Canadiens would be wise to wait through training camp to see if a team loses a goaltender to injury. Then, they would have all kinds of leverage as DeSmith would be one of the few veterans available. If no other teams get desperate, taking a 6th round pick from the Senators and retaining about $500,000 to make the cap hit more manageable would make a lot of sense for both sides.

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