The Montreal Canadiens are in a great position coming out of the Olympic break to make the playoffs for the second straight season. However, right now, they are not necessarily considered to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
One of the reasons for that is their goaltender position, which has been inconsistent at best and a rotating door of Samuel Montembeault, Jacob Fowler, and lately Jakub Dobes. All three goalies have had their moments, but none have been able to grasp the starter role completely.
Recently, insider Jeff Marek wondered what the Florida Panthers were going to do and thought that, with where they were in the standings and the injuries they have endured, they might be sellers. One of the players who could be on the move is goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who is set to be a free agent after the season.
Montreal Canadiens should absolutely trade for Sergei Bobrovsky but there are challenges to get a trade done
When looking at Bobrovsky's resume, on paper is a perfect fit for Montreal and what they need at the position. He is a former Vezina Trophy winner and has been a big reason for the Panthers winning back-to-back Stanley Cups. That experience would be great for a young team like Montreal that is trying to take that next step.
However, a trade with a division rival certainly comes with challenges. Marek does note that Bobrovsky has a 16-team no-trade clause, so the first thing to determine is whether or not Montreal is one of those teams.
The second issue is the AAV of Bobrovsky's contract, which is $10 million this season. For the Canadiens, the good news is that he is set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season, so it is not necessarily a long-term issue. However, the Canadiens have limited cap space as it is, and adding that much might be a challenge.
Finally, the Canadiens would create a logjam at the position that would require moving one of the three goalies mentioned previously, who have seen extended time in net. Ideally, the Canadiens probably want to move Montembeault, and if Florida would take that contract, which has one more season at an AAV of $3.15 million, back then, that is a huge win.
That seems unlikely, and then the question is whether or not Montreal would be willing to part with Dobes or Fowler. Florida probably would welcome a young prospect back as they build for the future, but Montreal might not be willing to move that.
At this point, it seems like a long-shot for the trade to get done but there might not be a trade out there that could improve the Canadiens Stanley Cup chances more than adding Sergei Bobrovsky this season.