Kent Hughes made only one trade this summer involving NHL players when he sent Brendan Gallagher to the Vancouver Canucks. Even after a quiet offseason, one NHL insider predicts that the Montreal Canadiens may be more active during the season and even make the first trade of the season.
Recently, Frank Seravalli was on The Jason Gregor Show and mentioned that he believes Samuel Montembeault will be the first player traded this season. "Couple years ago, Four Nations Faceoff, he's the third goalie on Team Canada. Today, he is on the outside looking in as the third goalie on the Montreal Canadiens, and my money is on him to be the first player traded this season."
As Seravalli noted, Montembeault has fallen well down the depth chart with the Canadiens. He began last season as the starter but struggled early and was passed by Jakub Dobes in January. Meanwhile, Jacob Fowler played well in spot starts with the Canadiens and then was the backup in the playoffs.
Montembeault finished last season starting only 23 games and went 10-8-4 with a goals against average of 3.43 (up from 2.82 the prior season) and a save percentage of .873 (down from .901).
It was why it seemed almost certain that Montembeault would be traded during the offseason, even if his value had dropped. The roster spot to bring up Jacob Fowler and the additional cap space would be the most valuable pieces the Canadiens are likely to get in return in a trade.
Even though it made sense, a trade never materialized, and it seems that they want to get Montembeault on the ice early in the season to prove he is better than what he showed last season. It certainly is a risk because there is no guarantee that he will be better than last season. On top of that, there may not be a market of teams looking for a new goalie during the season that could limit their trade options.
Montreal Canadiens taking a risk waiting until during the season to try and trade Samuel Montembeault
While the options may be limited, there are some teams already out there that might need a goalie. The Columbus Blue Jackets are one team that immediately jumps out, as they are going to be without Elvis Merzlikins after shoulder surgery, but they did sign Cam Talbot to a one-year deal and may no longer be an option.
It is an interesting prediction from Seravalli and would be great for the Montreal Canadiens, as it means Jacob Fowler gets to the NHL shortly after a trade is done. However, there seem to be too many hurdles in the way of a deal if the Canadiens continue to hold out to maximize the value.
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