Trade #2: Eller For Picks
Montreal Canadiens Receive: | Washington Capitals Receive: |
|---|---|
2017 2nd Round Pick: Joni Ikonen | Lars Eller |
2018 2nd Round Pick: Olivier Rodrigue |
The Washington Capitals were getting desperate. They had had their franchise player, and greatest goalscorer of all time Alex Ovechkin for over a decade now, and had no Cups to show for it. They were gearing up for another Cup run in 2016-17, and two second round picks seemed like a small price for forward depth.
It didn't work that year, but the Capitals and Eller would win the Cup the next year. Eller played the next seven seasons in Washington, before making one-year stops in Colorado and Pittsburgh, before finding his way back to the Capitals this year, and will be playing for Denmark this upcoming Olympics.
Once again, its a fairly straightforward trade. A two-for-one trade for draft picks with no restrictions. And it's good value for an aging Eller.
And like the first trade, one branch of this trade ends right there. Joni Ikonen seemed to be bubbling under the surface for a long time after being drafted in the second round 2017, but has never made the jump to North America.
The second-round draft pick in 2018 is where it gets interesting. Olivier Rodrigue was selected 62nd overall in 2018, just not by the Montreal Canadiens.
Trade #3: Trading Down in 2018
Montreal Canadiens Receive: | Edmonton Oilers Receive: |
|---|---|
2018 3rd Round Pick: Jordan Harris | 2018 2nd Round Pick: Olivier Rodrigue |
2018 5th Round Pick: Samuel Houde |
This trade is a textbook example of the value of trading down, and the magic beans quality of draft picks. The Canadiens likely didn't have an eye on anyone in specific in the second round, and turned one pick into two.
The Edmonton Oilers moved up to select Rodrigue, a project goalie, and to be fair, it might still work out. Rodrigue is still with the Oilers, and in fact, made his NHL debut and played two NHL games this year.
Which is more than can be said for the fifth-round pick Samuel Houde, who has also not been moved by the Canadiens and has not played in the NHL. This season Houde played in Switzerland.
But the best prospect in this league so far and by far is Jordan Harris. Harris developed in college, and made his NHL debut 2021-22, and became a steady face on a young Canadiens blue line. While he never played a full 82 game season, he played well enough to get noticed from other teams.
Trade #4: Harris for Laine
Montreal Canadiens Receive: | Columbus Blue Jackets Receive: |
|---|---|
Patrik Laine | Jordan Harris |
2026 2nd Round Pick |
And so, we come up to today. Patrik Laine and the Columbus Blue Jackets had been coming up to a messy seperation for a while now, and they did well to get a player like Harris out of the deal. While Harris did struggle to make the team for long stretches, his play did improve late in the season.
Montreal got Laine at a discount, thanks to the way that things ended for him in Columbus, and even got a sweetener in the deal in the form of a second round pick in next year's draft. So it will be a minimum one more year until we see where this trade tree could possibly end.
Laine, on the other hand, had a pretty great, bounce back year with the Habs this year. After returning from a preseason injury, Laine scored 20 goals in 52 games, and looked practically unstoppable on the power play.
Time will tell whether Laine will stick around with the Canadiens, or if his trade tree will continue even further, but one things for certain. The Canadiens got a huge return for two young prospects way back in 2010 for Jaroslav Halak.
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