Centre of attention: The cost of Kadri, Stamkos, O'Reilly and more

As November winds to a close, teams have racked up the injuries and have started to put together their Christmas wish lists. The Montreal Canadiens would take anybody who can stay healthy for a length of time as a nice stocking stuffer, but at the top of their letter to Santa remains a bona fide second-line centre.

As the early playoff contention picture pulls into focus, the teams that hold all those prized presents know what they have, and they can hold out on teams being desperate. Maybe not Arnold Schwarzenegger going after the last Turbo Man, desperate, but close enough.

According to an article posted to RG media by Marco D’Amico his source says a few teams are looking to make moves and make the most out of any trade opportunity. “Teams are waiting for someone to make a mistake and overpay for their players.” Said the source. “There are so few identifiable sellers at the moment.” We’ll go in order from least to most likely, and what pieces may be of interest to the Canadiens.

To start off, let me reiterate what has come out about the Buffalo Sabres. Tage Thompson is not on the trade block. Yes, the Buffalo Sabres are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, but it’s not by much. As much losing as the Sabres have done in the past, they still have goals of winning, and it’s understandable that Thompson is set to be a cornerstone of their foundation.

Next up are the Calgary Flames and the popular rumour of Nazem Kadri. Spirited discussions about his usefulness to the Canadiens started as early as last season, but only increased as the Flames stumbled out of the gate with a 5-13-3 record. “Calgary I feel, has the big end of the stick here with a couple interesting pieces” Noted D’Amico’s source. “And they have very little incentive to make a move at this time, unless a team blows them away.” If there’s anything Habs fans have learned about the current administration, is that this rebuild is about patience and reacting to adversity with a high-cost move is all but off the table.

Another Western Conference team that has stumbled from the start are, once again, the Nashville Predators. From “winning the offseason” just a few summers ago to struggling to find form, gaining assets for high-profile pieces may be the start of a proper retooling for the Tennessee team. The big name of course would be a Steven Stamkos, but the No-Movement Clause and $8 million price tag and term would make that contract hard to negotiate for most teams. Ryan O’Reilly would be a possible golden candidate for the Canadiens, in year three of four of his contract, carrying an AAV of $4.5 million and does not hold any trade protection.

To hammer home the point before we get too pie in the sky, any option presented will be costly. Any move made would have to make complete sense for the Canadiens brass; the sellers are playing Monopoly and running the bank, and any trade is on the sellers’ terms.

I’ll glaze over the St. Louis Blues as Jordan Kyrou is well covered, as well as Brayden Schenn, but the Blues are in a position where they could capitalize in a big way should someone come along with a deal. It’s not like Montreal and the Blues haven’t done business recently.

So, with panic setting in for some of the fanbase, looking to make the biggest move, ask yourself this question: “How much are we willing to give up in a trade?” There are untouchables on the table for sure, but if you don’t think a physical defenseman like Arber Xhekaj, a promising prospect in Adam Engstrom or a budding forward in Oliver Kapanen wouldn’t be at the top of another team’s wish list, you would be mistaken.