The Montreal Canadiens approach the trade deadline as clear sellers, but without any real obvious things for sale.
I suppose you could say everyone is for sale in the National Hockey League if the price is right or if a team gets their socks knocked off, but there are not many clear trade candidates on the Canadiens roster right now.
Sean Monahan was the most likely player on the roster to be dealt, and he was. Moving him to the Winnipeg Jets made sense for the Canadiens as they have an extra first round pick in the upcoming 2024 NHL Draft at their disposal now.
The fact he has six goals in his first nine games with the Jets means they are loving the deal right now as well.
The Canadiens are going to have to get a little more creative with their next trade. Their only pending unrestricted free agents, since Monahan was dealt, are Tanner Pearson, Colin White and Chris Wideman. None of them are expected to have any value on the trade market, so don't expect them to be moved before next Friday's trade deadline.
So, who could be on the move? Well, the Canadiens have a plethora of defensemen on their roster and a few more coming soon. Could they move out a veteran now to make room for a younger player on the back end? Or could they move a young defenseman to try and fill a bigger need up front?
It could happen soon, as it seems inevitable that the dynamic on the blue line has to shift soon to make room for Lane Hutson and David Reinbacher as well as Logan Mailloux. This is shortly after Jayden Struble stole a roster spot and youngsters Jordan Harris and Arber Xhekaj have long NHL careers in front of them as well.
Who could on the move? Let's rank the ten defensemen who spent time on the Canadiens roster this season who are most likely to be traded in the coming week.