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.

Vancouver Canucks

Most teams around the league already have their goaltending tandem locked up for next season. If injuries did not exist, there are not many teams that would need DeSmith on their roster, as they already have a couple of NHL veterans under contract.

Many of them will be happy to use the pair of goalies they have and would not see DeSmith as being a big enough upgrade to bother trading an asset for him. The Vancouver Canucks however, could use a better backup goaltender right now.

They have Thatcher Demko under contract and he will be their starting goaltender in 2023-24. Spencer Martin is also under contract and will be their backup, but he did not give them much of a chance to win when he played last season. The team went 11-15-1 in Martin’s starts and he had a goals-against-average of 3.99 with a save percentage of .871.

Of the 79 goaltenders to play ten or more games last season, only two had a worse GAA than Martin and only one had a lower SV%. DeSmith had a .905 SV% which ranked 33rd and his 3.18 GAA was 48th in the NHL. He would not be a player that pushes for a number one role, but the Canucks don’t need that while they have Demko.

The Canucks may not be a playoff lock, but they did add some defenders recently, such as Carson Soucy, Filip Hronek and Ian Cole and hope to be better defensively and closer to the playoff race. Adding a better number two goaltender would help in that regard as well.

Don’t be surprised to see the Canucks trade a 5th round pick to the Canadiens for DeSmith to give them a realiable veteran backup.

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.