Montreal Canadiens: Three Teams Most Likely To Be Habs Trade Partners Before Trade Deadline

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche are a Stanley Cup contending team, there is no doubt about that. They are also a cap strapped squad that can't just go out and add whoever they want and would need to move out money to bring someone into the team.

The Avalanche have also added a couple of former Canadiens recently and things have worked out great. They acquired Artturi Lehkonen in a trade during the 2021-22 season and he was instrumental in helping them win the Stanley Cup that spring.

The Avalanche then signed Jonathan Drouin last summer and though he started slowly, he has been playing well lately and now has 30 points in 51 games. They were hoping for a similar bounce back performance from Ryan Johansen who they also signed last summer, but it hasn't worked out.

Johansen scored 28 points in 55 games last season for the Nashville Predators before being bought out. This season, he has been worse, putting up just 18 points in 53 games. He has a $4 million cap hit through next season, and the Avs need to move him out to bring someone in.

They would like to bring a goaltender in but have limited options with their cap space and desire to move out a bad contract. Could the Avs look to add another player from the Canadiens and solve their problems?

Jake Allen is certainly available, and though his last game was a bad one, he is a reliable netminder who posted league average numbers before being destroyed on Super Bowl Sunday. That is all the Avalanche need with such a strong group of defenders and Alexandar Georgiev holding down the starter's role.

Swapping Allen for Johansen is not the most exciting trade for Canadiens fans, but what more can they expect for Allen at this point? At least it would give them an NHL center between Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans for the rest of the season and free up the three goalie logjam.