Right before the start of the 2026-27 season, the Montreal Canadiens saw their top trade target all summer, Kirill Marchenko, get traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. To make matters worse for Kent Hughes, one of the players in the return was Matthew Knies, who he was chasing at the trade deadline last season.
While the Canadiens don't need to make any moves right now, they are probably starting to get an idea of who might be available and a fit for their team. The biggest roster need still remains at center on the second line, and fortunately, there are a few players who could be a good fit to address the need.
Mark Scheifele
The Winnipeg Jets are the team to watch early this season as they still have the unresolved situation with Connor Hellebuyck. Their star goalie requested a trade this summer and has refused to report, making it clear that he won't play again for Winnipeg.
If the Jets eventually trade Hellebuyck, it might be the first of multiple trades they make, as they are expected to go into a rebuild. One of the other players they could move is Mark Scheifele.
It has already been reported that the Canadiens could have interest in Scheifele after missing out on Dylan Larkin. The biggest concern with Scheifele is that he is an older player and even though he is coming off a career season with over 100 points, it remains to be seen how long he can keep that production up.
The Canadiens have enough younger players who are expected to get better that adding one older veteran might not be a bad idea, even if Scheifele only has one or two seasons as a Top 6 player.
Elias Pettersson
There have been a lot of questions around Elias Pettersson over the past few seasons, and rightfully so, as he has seen his production drop from 102 points in 2022-23 to only 96 points combined over the past two seasons. When factoring in his contract, which has five years left after this season and an AAV of $11.6 million, any team that trades for Pettersson is taking on a big commitment.
The question teams need to answer before trading for Pettersson is whether the decrease in performance is because of the player or the fact that the Canucks have not been very good the past few seasons. If the Canadiens were to trade for him, he would not need to be a top-line center and could bounce back on a line with Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov.
Ryan O'Reilly
The other concern or question the Canadiens need to answer if they trade for the first two players mentioned is what they do with Michael Hage. Both Scheifele and Pettersson have long-term contracts and they are not just a one-year fix.
With Hage likely joining the Canadiens roster before the end of this season, they may just need a veteran to bridge that gap. A player like Ryan O'Reilly could be the perfect answer, as he is in the final year of his contract, and while he is 35, he is still playing at a high level after a 74-point season last year.
O'Reilly would also be a great addition to the locker room, as he already has won a Stanley Cup and was a big reason the Blues did in 2019, as he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy. Among all the options on this list, when considering what he could bring to the team, his contract, and what it might cost the Canadiens in a trade package, he is seemingly the perfect player for them to try to acquire.
Shane Wright
Another player the Canadiens could target as a rental player would be Shane Wright. However, unlike O'Reilly there is more of a projection that goes into him, as he has struggled during his time in the NHL.
Similar to Pettersson, there is a question that needs to be answered about whether it's the player or the team that is impacting his performance. In 2024-25, Wright finished with 44 points but saw that production almost cut in half, down to 27 last season.
For the Canadiens, it would be a low risk because Wright is in the final year of his contract and would be a restricted free agent after this season. Regardless of whether he struggles or has a breakout season, they don't need to worry about a new contract and could potentially trade his rights next summer to recoup some of what they sent to Seattle.
By trading for Wright, they don't necessarily block Hage's path to the NHL and realistically give them options next offseason.
The Canadiens don't need to be in any rush to make a trade but as the season goes along, these are four players they should be watching closely.
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