3 trade deadline destinations if the Canadiens move Joel Armia

Joel Armia's Canadiens career is likely coming to a close.

New York Rangers v Montreal Canadiens
New York Rangers v Montreal Canadiens | Minas Panagiotakis/GettyImages
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Columbus Blue Jackets

Denton Mateychuk, Joel Armia
Montreal Canadiens v Columbus Blue Jackets | Ben Jackson/GettyImages

The Columbus Blue Jackets top-six has been playing well enough through the season's first half to put them in playoff contention. The Blue Jackets have plenty of salary cap space to upgrade their team at the trade deadline, but they may not want to go all-in with their current position in the standings and roster construction. Columbus is still a rebuilding team and are better off keeping their young players in the top six and not bringing in those types of players.

It opens the door for players like Armia or even Jake Evans, who could play in the bottom six and help the penalty kill. Armia would also be a veteran voice in the room for some of the young players. The trade wouldn't guarantee Armia a playoff spot, but he could help the Blue Jackets immensely.

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