The Montreal Canadiens didn't make any moves ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday afternoon. However, that doesn't mean they didn't try, and according to one NHL insider got really close.
On Saturday, David Pagnotta with The Fourth Period was on Hello Hockey with Tom Gazolla and Shawn Belle and was talking about some of the teams competing for Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference and had this to say about the Canadiens.
"The Habs were very, very close to getting a defenseman, a right-shot defenseman and not on an expiring contract," Pagnotta said. "It was right at the finish line to that deal, and the other team pulled back at the last minute. They had a change of heart, but the parameters were agreed upon."
Pagnotta went on to clarify that the defenseman he is referring to is not the deal that Kent Hughes talked about after the NHL Trade Deadline. After the deadline passed, Kent Hughes mentioned that they were working on a trade that they might revisit in the summer for a top-line guy.
Who could the Montreal Canadiens have been pursuing at the trade deadline?
It is tough to predict exactly who the player might have been, but one player that certainly fits the description is Calgary Flames defenseman Zach Whitecloud. Prior to the NHL Trade Deadline, it was reported by Pierre LeBrun that the Canadiens were interested in Whitecloud, who was traded already once this season when the Vegas Golden Knights included him in a trade package for Rasmus Andersson.
Whitecloud, though, is a right-handed defenseman and is not on an expiring contract as he still has two more seasons left on his current deal after this one. As a member of the Golden Knights, he was more of a third-pair defenseman, but he has excelled in an expanded role with the Flames, as he has averaged over 22 minutes of ice time per game.
The addition of Zach Whitecloud would have provided Martin St. Louis with options and brought some balance to their blueline. Right now, the Canadiens have Mike Matheson and Kalden Guhle together as a pair, with both being left-handed defenseman.
By adding a player like Whitecloud, he could step in on the second pair with Matheson and then move Guhle down to the third pair to play alongside either Arber Xhehaj or Jayden Struble as another right-handed, left-handed defensive pair.
In the end, the Canadiens weren't able to get a trade done but it doesn't appear to be their own doing but the other team not ready to sign off. It will be interesting to see if the lack of moves at the trade deadline is going to have an impact on their season.