Montreal Canadiens: Trade Deadline Power Rankings

I don’t think the Canadiens want to move Josh Anderson when he’s playing his best hockey. And unlike the more likely trade deadline moves, he has plenty of term on his contract left. That’s why he falls at number five on the list and not much higher. The issue lies with how Anderson has played so far this season. He’s been bad.

At $5.5 Million a season, the expectation is Anderson would be one of the Canadiens best players, but the power forward has yet to score through 12 games this season. And truthfully, it hasn’t been a matter of luck; Anderson has had plenty of opportunity, playing on the top powerplay unit, but has just not played well.

Sure, there are more layers to Anderson’s game than just scoring, but that still has to be a part of the equation. The expectation is he’ll give you 20+ goals when healthy. Right now, it’s a struggle just to get one. You have to think the Canadiens are starting to worry just a little bit as they stare at his contract, which still has three years left after this season.

Of course, it’s still early enough in the season that he could turn it around, but this isn’t anything new with Anderson. He is an incredibly streaky player and has been for the entirety of his Habs career. While I think the Canadiens value what Anderson brings, they must be hoping for more consistent play. And with Anderson already being 29, it wouldn’t surprise me if they were open to moving him, assuming the right offer comes along.

The Canadiens have had offers for Anderson before but turned them down as they were not good enough. If teams are still interested, which is a big IF until Anderson gets back on track, I wonder if Kent Hughes is more tempted this time. I don’t think the Canadiens will move Anderson just for the sake of moving him, but the longer he struggles, the more likely it may be they try and get out from underneath that contract.