The Montreal Canadiens have one more day to make an outside trade before the 3:00 p.m. ET trade deadline. They have the scoring, but they could really use some help in net. There are two big names that are on the trade block that they could pursue — Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers and Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues.
Binnington has been on the trade block for most of the season, as the Blues are open to trading away any player over 25-years-old. On Wednesday, multiple reports indicated that the Florida Panthers are officially selling at the trade deadline, and are open to listening to offers for Bobrovsky, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. This is a dream come true for the Canadiens and the fanbase, as two Stanley Cup champion goalies are available. But who is the most likely target for the Canadiens?
While discussing potential landing spots for Bobrovsky, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun said that if the Canadiens were to trade for a goalie at the trade deadline, it "wouldn't be for a rental." So, in LeBrun's mind, Binnington makes more sense for Montreal than Bobrovsky.
Pierre LeBrun says Jordan Binnington is a more sensible target for Canadiens than Sergei Bobrovsky
"Jakub Dobes gave up six goals to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night (the Habs’ defensive coverage was porous, too). I don’t need to tell you how Samuel Montembeault has been this season. It’s a move the Habs have resisted all year. They really, really haven’t wanted to look at the goalie trade market, but I wonder if Tuesday night was a tipping point. What I would say is that if — and I still think it’s a long shot — the Canadiens decided to trade for a goalie before Friday’s deadline, it likely wouldn’t be for a rental. In that scenario, Binnington (signed through next season) would actually make more sense," writes LeBrun.
As mentioned earlier, Bobrovsky is set to become a free agent at the end of this season. Meanwhile, Binnington is under contract for one more season, where he accounts for $6 million against the salary cap. So yes, he does fit the role of "not a rental." There is one important caveat, it's that Binnington carries a 10-team no-trade clause. Meanwhile, Bobrovsky has a 16-team no-trade clause.
Binnington had been the Blues' go-to- option in net since the 2018-19 season, where he emerged as a rookie and helped the team win their first-ever Stanley Cup. Fast forward to now, Binnington is in the midst of a bad campaign. In 33 games, Binnington posted an 8-18-6 record, a 3.60 goals allowed average, and a .867 save percentage. At this pace, this could be Binnington's worst season of his career.
But when he donned the sweater and pads for Team Canada in the Olympics, Binnington stepped up his game and played a pivotal role in the team making it to the gold medal match. Canada was not the scoring juggernaut they were in the group stage, and Binnington made up for it, especially in their games against Czechia and Finland.In five games, Binnington recorded a 1.78 goals allowed average and a .917 save percentage all while picking up four wins in the tournament.
It's up to the Canadiens to decide if they want to take a chance on either Binnington or Bobrovsky. The Canadiens' path to the Stanley Cup will likely go through all Atlantic Division rivals, and the division is stacked this year. Montreal's goaltending has been suspect, and it would make sense if they try to bring in some outside help to help them face a team like the Tampa Bay Lightning in the playoffs.