The NHL Trade Deadline is finally here and set for 3 PM ET later today. For the Montreal Canadiens and the rest of the league, with the deadline this close it could spur some urgency to get some moves done.
When looking at the roster, the Canadiens are probably focused on three areas that they might want to address before the trade deadline. Among the forwards, they are looking for someone either on the wing to play with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield or a veteran center on the second line.
They could also be looking to add on defense, particularly their third pair. The Canadiens have used some combination of Jayden Struble, Alexandre Carrier and Arber Xhekaj but haven't found anything they feel confident in long-term.
Finally, the one position that generates the most discussion is the goalie position. The Canadiens haven't gotten consistent performance from Samuel Montembeault, Jakub Dobes, and Jacob Fowler that might spur some moves.
With these three areas in mind, these are players who could be fits to address them that the Montreal Canadiens might pursue.
Forwards
Players to watch: Robert Thomas, Nazem Kadri, Vincent Trocheck, Ryan O'Reilly, Blake Coleman
There are certainly plenty of options out there for the Montreal Canadiens to address this need, but the question is whether or not they want to pay what teams are demanding in return. The Canadiens were connected to Robert Thomas, but the St. Louis Blues want some combination of players and picks that equal multiple first-round picks.
As for Nazem Kadri, this has been a back-and-forth for almost the entire season between the Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames. The concern with Kadri is that he is 35 years old, having one of the worst seasons of his career, and still has three more seasons left on his contract after this one with an AAV of $7 million. That contract might scare the Canadiens too much to make the move.
Vincent Trocheck is a player that the Canadiens appear to have checked in on recently, and could be a good fit with what he can do on the penalty kill for Montreal.
Finally, the last two players are probably long shots but might be out there for the right price in Nashville's Ryan O'Reilly and Calgary's Blake Coleman. Both are veterans and O'Reilly could be a great upgrade at center while Coleman would be a great fit on the wing on the top line.
Defensemen
Players to Watch: Justin Faulk, Colton Parayko, Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Whitecloud
The Canadiens could want to add to their defense, and once again will have options with two St. Louis Blues in Justin Faulk and Colton Parayko. The second would be the biggest splash, and Parayko is a former Stanley Cup champion who could give Martin St. Louis options with shuffling his Top 4.
That is not necessarily what they need, but considering how close the Buffalo Sabres got earlier this week, he is a player who looks to be out there and, at the very least, is worth a phone call from Montreal.
The other three players would be upgrades for their third pair, and the player that would make the most sense is Rasmus Ristolainen. He certainly carries risk as he has struggled to stay healthy, but the Flyers probably won't ask for as much as the Blues or Flames might for Faulk or Whitecloud.
Goalies
Players to Watch: Sergei Bobrovsky, Jordan Binnington
Among the goalies, it really comes down to two players that the Montreal Canadiens might consider in Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky and Blues' Jordan Binnington. However, in my opinion, it should only be Bobrovsky, as he is a clear upgrade over what the Canadiens have, even if he is having a down season.
While Binnington looked great in the Olympics, he has been really bad during the season with the St. Louis Blues. It is a scenario where it doesn't make sense to trade assets for a player that might not be better than what the team currently has on the roster.
As for Bobrovsky, he has helped the Florida Panthers get to and win back-to-back Stanley Cups. This season, he hasn't been as good, but that could be a reflection of how much the Panthers have struggled.
The concern for Bobrovsky is that he is set to be an unrestricted free agent after the season, and Montreal might not want to trade much for a player who could walk at the end of the season. However, it should be worth the risk as he gives Montreal its best chance at making a run in the playoffs.
It should be a busy day across the league, and the Montreal Canadiens are almost certainly going to be involved in discussions. The big question is whether or not they can get any trades across the finish line ahead of the 3 PM deadline.