Montreal Canadiens: Three Players We Could See Traded This Season

It’s no secret that the Montreal Canadiens have put an onus on moving out the veterans and building a young, fast, modern lineup. With that, they have traded away most of the bad contracts and opened space for their prospect pool to make its mark. The scenario that presents itself now is players coming along ahead of schedule before the higher-ranked prospects make their NHL debuts, which opens up trade options.

So while it’s a nod to the great drafting and work of (GM) Kent Hughes and (VP of Hockey Operations) Jeff Gorton, it also means there’s more work added to the to-do list. There are a couple of guys on the cusp, that could steal a spot, or force a trade to make room for them. So with that, we will dive into three candidates that could be dealt before the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

Johnathan Kovacevic

Johnny Kovacevic, as the Habs’ brass like to call him, was the result of waivers, presenting Hughes with a nice option to plug in on the right side of the blue line. He had a solid season and showed strong chemistry alongside Arber Xhekaj. The issue with Kovacevic is that if last season was any indication of his growth, the experience gained could see him rise higher, which could result in a trade out of Montreal.

The acquisition of Gustav Lindstrom adds another piece to the Canadiens’ blueline, who is a rightie and is just 24 years old. Add Justin Barron to the mix, who showed improvement during the latter part of the season, and both Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher in the mix, and there’s not much space. Savard is also here, and Wideman, but Kovacevic could garner interest quickly if Hughes decides to make him available.

Dealing from an area of strength, to acquire a pick or a nice piece at another position could be a viable option. Kovacevic has been a solid player for the Habs, and his combination of size and strong skating are highly coveted in the NHL, he also provides a strong defensive acumen. This could happen as early as training camp, or the trade deadline, depending on where Reinbacher and Mailloux play from October on.

Joel Armia

There isn’t a more frustrating player on the Canadiens roster than Joel Armia, as he just lacks consistency to a fault. When he is on, he is dominant, and his pursuit to the net is almost unstoppable, as he uses his frame to protect the puck, and his heavy shot can burn goalies from long range. This happens once every 15-20 games, then he disappears unless we’re discussing his penalty killing which is a strength in his game.

It’s quite obvious that Armia is the last piece left to be dealt with, with Rem Pitlick and Mike Hoffman gone to San Jose. There are a handful of young guys looking to crack the roster during training camp, and it would be ideal to play one of them instead of Armia. He could be scratched, but even if he is, he still takes a chance away from a prospect, which doesn’t exactly benefit the rebuild.

I would think that if Hughes is able to iron out a swap, he would listen to the offer intently. He could be a nice depth piece, who provides help killing penalties. I expect that because of his inconsistencies, he might not command much on the market, but the benefit left behind is an open roster spot.

The roster is getting younger, and the best thing for the rebuild is to let the guys who will carry the boat in the future get their reps in.

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