The Montreal Canadiens failed to make any trades right at the NHL Trade Deadline, but it wasn't due to a lack of trying. There were rumors that the Canadiens were trying to work on a trade right up to the final minutes, but couldn't get that deal done.
It is unclear who exactly that player was, but recently Bruce Garrioch with the Ottawa Citizen reported that the speculation is that it was New York Rangers' center Vincent Trocheck that the Canadiens were pursuing.
Montreal Canadiens should have better options this offseason to address the second-line center position
There is no question that Trocheck would have helped the Canadiens in the playoffs this past season. He excels in several areas that the Canadiens needed, including physicality, with over 1,800 hits in his career. He is also excellent in the faceoff circle, boasting a career win percentage of 54.3%, and is a strong penalty kill player.
During the end-of-season press conference, Kent Hughes talked about looking for players who can help them long-term. He is not necessarily looking for a one-year fix, and at this point in Trocheck's career, that feels like that is what he would be.
Trocheck will be 33 years old this season and is starting to show signs that he might be slowing down. He finished the season with only 16 goals and had a career-worst +/- of -16. On top of that, Trocheck still has three years left on his current deal with an AAV of $5.65 million.
At this point in his career, he probably has only one year left as a Top 6 forward before teams are going to have to start managing his minutes and his role.
Even with all the concerns, the Rangers are likely still going to get a great return for a player like Trocheck. However, the Canadiens can't be the team to mortgage some of their future for a player who can help right now.
During the offseason, more options are on the table as more teams are willing to discuss trades and not necessarily think about where they are in the standings around the trade deadline. The Canadiens absolutely need to find a second-line center this summer, but should be looking for younger, upside players that can develop and grow with the core they have assembled.
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