The NHL Trade Deadline is less than 48 hours away, and the Montreal Canadiens have been the subject of a ton of rumours. Could they trade for a top-six centre, a first-line winger, or a proven veteran goalie? Players of that calibre are going to cost a pretty penny, and if there are that many holes in the roster, perhaps they are not ready to go all in this season and mortgage the rest of their future to do so. That does not mean they should do nothing at the deadline, but the moves should be about rounding out the roster rather than adding another star. There are plenty of those types of players on the market going into the deadline, but which would be the best fit for the Canadiens?
A.J. Greer
The Canadiens have a lot of speed and skill in their forward group, but they are lacking some physicality that is essential for a deep playoff run. As it stands right now, the only player who brings impactful forechecking is Josh Anderson, but the Canadiens could use another physical fourth-line player, and A.J. Greer of the Florida Panthers could provide just that. The defending back-to-back champion Panthers are surprise sellers at this year's trade deadline, and Greer is likely to be moved as he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
The Quebec-native Greer has a career-high 11 goals and 22 points this season, but his value stems more from his physical play than his point production. Bringing in a player like Greer would add some extra size to the forward group, listed at 6’3” and around 210 pounds, which the Canadiens are lacking. The move only makes sense if the Canadiens are able to move Patrik Laine. If not, adding in another body to an already crowded winger group would just cause more havoc for the team.
Zach Whitecloud
Montreal Gazette writer Herb Zurkowsky reported on Tuesday that the Calgary Flames have expressed interest in Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj. Xhekaj has had a rocky season with the Canadiens and is struggling to get consistent minutes when he is in the lineup. The Canadiens could use a physical right-shot defenceman, and with the Flames having already traded Mackenzie Weegar, it is clear they are going to be sellers at this year’s trade deadline. Someone like Zach Whitecloud could be enticing for the Canadiens if they want to move off of Xhekaj.
The Flames acquired Whitecloud in January when they traded defenceman Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights. In 59 games this season, Whitecloud has two goals and 11 points, while averaging 19:39 minutes of ice time per game. However, since the move to Calgary, his ice time has jumped to 23:08 minutes per game. A move for Whitecloud would add another right-handed shot to your lineup and be someone you can depend on to play big minutes, something the Canadiens seemingly do not trust Xhekaj to do. Unlike Greer, Whitecloud has two years remaining on his deal past this season, but has a manageable cap hit of $2.75 million, which falls right in line with someone who will likely play on the bottom pairing of the defence.
Luke Schenn
If the Canadiens are truly looking for a big, physical defender but do not want to move off of Xhekaj, or want someone who could be a pure rental, Winnipeg Jets’ Luke Schenn could be enticing for them. Schenn is on the final year of his three-year, $2.75 million a year contract, which he signed with the Nashville Predators in 2023. The 36-year-old defenceman has just seven points in 46 games this season, but what he lacks in production he makes up for in physicality.
Schenn leads the Jets in hits so far this season with 139, which is not uncommon for him to do. He is fourth all-time in NHL career hits with 3799, sitting behind Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Martin, and Alexander Ovechkin. Besides Xhekaj, none of the other Canadiens defencemen have that type of physical element to their game. With Xhekaj seemingly in Martin St. Louis’ doghouse, the Canadiens could choose to bring in the veteran defenceman, who knows how to use his physicality to the team’s advantage. Schenn’s play does not lead to an exorbitant amount of penalties, just 32 compared to Xhekaj’s 104. Schenn would provide the Canadiens with a cost-effective option at the deadline that could help them in their playoff push this season.