For most of the summer, general manager Kent Hughes has talked about how frustrating it was to try to get a trade done. They were trying to be aggressive but weren't able to get anything across the finish line.
The primary focus was adding a Top 6 forward, ideally a center, and one player who appeared to be available was Vancouver Canucks' Elias Pettersson. Shortly before the start of free agency, I wrote about the fact that the Canadiens might not have much of a choice but to take a risk on acquiring Pettersson.
However, for it to be even remotely logical for them, it would have required the Canucks retaining salary. As well as the Canadiens having to be confident that Pettersson could bounce back to be closer to the 100-point player from a few seasons ago than the 51-point player he was last season.
NHL insider confirms that there were some talks with teams, but nothing got close with Elias Pettersson
Recently, Rick Dhaliwal was on The Canucks Conversation and was asked about Elias Pettersson and where he stands with the team. Dhaliwal confirmed that nothing really got close with any team, which would include the Montreal Canadiens.
"When I checked in last night, a Pettersson trade never got close in the last few months. The Canucks never went to his agents and said, "Hey, we got a team. Will you waive to go to this team?" There's been a lot of conjecture, there's been a lot of talks, and there's been a lot of teams checking in," Dhaliwal said.
He did confirm that teams wanted retention, and he noted one team specifically asked for close to $3 million per year to make it work. That certainly makes sense, as Pettersson still has six years left on his contract with an AAV of $11.6 million.
Montreal Canadiens trading for Elias Pettersson never really made sense for them in the long run
While the Canadiens could use an upgrade in their Top 6, it never really made much sense for them to add Elias Pettersson, even if they were confident that he could bounce back. The Canadiens' front office has done a good job to this point of not really blocking any prospect's path to the NHL.
If the Canadiens were to trade for Pettersson, it certainly would create a challenge, with Michael Hage likely being in Montreal at the latest by the end of this season. They could move Pettersson down to the third line, but the contract becomes an issue in that situation, as it is too much to pay for a third-line center, with or without retention from Vancouver.
As much as fans hope to see the Canadiens make a move, sometimes not making a move is ultimately the best move a team can make.
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