The Montreal Canadiens have yet to make a big splash this offseason, outside of extending key players like Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes. However, Stu Cowan finds it hard to believe that they won't make a move at some point, but it might not be until well into the season.
Recently, Cowan was on The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro and discussed the lack of moves. He highlighted the fact that right now, there are a lot of unknowns for the Canadiens that could be holding up a trade.
"They are not going to rush into anything, they are not going to panic into anything," Cowan said. He mentioned that Arber Xhekaj and Zachary Bolduc are still not signed and that could factor into trade discussions, potentially in a sign-and-trade.
Cowan also mentions that the potential of Michael Hage changing his mind is still out there and he could end up being in training camp as their second-line center.
He still believes a trade will happen at any point, but doesn't see the Montreal Canadiens not making any moves by the time December rolls around. "It could happen at any time, but I don't see us going into December or something like that without a trade being made."
Montreal Canadiens are smart to be patient on a big trade
This offseason, the options to improve the roster were limited, especially for what the Canadiens really needed, and that was another top center. The players who were moved, like Mason McTavish and Vincent Trocheck, either cost too much or didn't fit how the Canadiens wanted to build the roster.
Even with no moves, there are still some players potentially available, like Dylan Larkin or Kirill Marchenko, that could help. However, once again, the asking price just might be too high, and that is one of the reasons these players haven't been traded yet.
Once the season starts, it seemingly becomes a different discussion as during the offseason, teams don't want to look like they are already looking to rebuild. However, if these teams get off to a slow start, they might be willing to trade these players for future assets and in those conversations, the Canadiens can do well and upgrade the roster.
In the end, Stu Cowan is right that the Canadiens right now have several things floating around that could factor into trade discussions or even change the discussions entirely, especially if Hage decides to join Montreal in training camp. At some point, they are going to make a move, but it might not be until a few months into the season.
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