Montreal Canadiens: How To Turn Habs Depth On Blue Line Into Future Top Six Scoring Threat

Trade Arber Xhekaj For Cutter Gauthier

The Philadelphia Flyers are actually good this season and it feels like it has been a long time since we have been able to say that. They play in a very tough Metropolitan Division, but find themselves in second place after 30 games this season.

No one expected that, and they will now have some tough decision to make on the blue line as the season goes along. When the trade deadline arrives, the Flyers will have three regular defensemen as pending unrestricted free agents who would typically be trade bait at that time. But if they are still in the running for home ice advantage in a playoff series, they won't be dealing Nick Seeler, Sean Walker or Marc Staal.

Instead, they would be looking to add someone to absorb the eventual loss of a couple of those guys as free agents in the summer. Enter Arber Xhekaj. Is there a better fit in the entire hockey world between player and coach than Xhekaj would be with John Tortorella? Enough said there, obviously the Flyers would be interested.

The Canadiens would be too but they would need a young potential top six forward if they are going to move a unique player like Xhekaj. The Flyers have a lot of good young wingers that fit the description like Joel Farabee, Tyson Foerster, Owen Tippett, Bobby Brink and also have super highly skilled Cutter Gauthier and Matvei Michkov on the way.

Any of them would make sense but I don't see the Flyers trading their top prospects Gauthier or Michkov. Bobby Brink has some familiarity with Cole Caufield and would fit the description as young goal scoring potential top six winger of the near future.