The Montreal Canadiens already made one trade this season when they brought back Philip Danault in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings. However, they might not be done there and could look to add more to continue to help them move up the standings.
Recently, Pierre LeBrun was on TSN and said the Canadiens have seemingly focused on one player they would like to acquire, and that is Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman.
"Blake Coleman is a player of interest and he's a guy that brings some elements that the Habs are not high on with his physicality, versatility, a two-time Stanley Cup champion," LeBrun said.
Montreal Canadiens are in no rush to make another trade before the Olympics
Pierre LeBrun also said that the Canadiens are seemingly in no rush to get another trade done over the next few weeks. "My sense is Montreal would like to get to the Olympic break and then take stock where they are in the standings and where their goaltending is, which has been better lately," LeBrun said.
While the Canadiens are only one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes, who are tied atop the Eastern Conference, they are also only five points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are currently in the final Wild Card spot. There isn't much difference from top to bottom in the Eastern Conference, and a losing streak could quickly change the expectations for the season.
Blake Coleman would be great with the Canadiens but might not be worth the asking price
There is no question that Blake Coleman would be a great fit in Montreal and give the locker room a veteran presence of someone who has helped a team through the playoffs and ultimately win a Stanley Cup. However, LeBrun also mentioned there are a lot of teams interested in Coleman, and there is even a chance Calgary doesn't want to trade him.
Coleman still has one more year left on his contract after this season, so they don't necessarily have to trade him. This means that if he is traded, wherever he goes, that team is probably going to have to overpay to get him out of Calgary.
It is smart for the Canadiens to be patient and wait until after the Olympic break. As LeBrun noted, goaltending is their biggest question mark and while it has been better, there is no guarantee it can be sustained.
If, for some reason, they struggle through the remainder of January, it might force them to shift their focus to finding an improvement at that position after the Olympic break instead of making a big splash like trading for Coleman.