Deadline Primer: Montreal Canadiens

With the trade deadline now less than 24 hours away, we continue our closer look at the situation for each team.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?  Next up is a look at the Montreal Canadiens.

Coming off of a season that saw them win the Atlantic Division, expectations were high in Montreal heading into 2017-18.  However, they have struggled considerably offensively, their new-look back end has had issues in their own end, and their usually-strong goaltending has also been a concern.  As a result, instead of being buyers at the deadline, the Canadiens will be selling off what they can instead.

Record

23-29-9, sixth in Atlantic Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$35.8MM full-season cap hit (including LTIR), 1/3 retained salary transactions, 43/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2018: MTL 1st, CHI 2nd, MTL 2nd, TOR 2nd, WSH 2nd, MTL 3rd, EDM 5th*, LA 5th^, MTL 5th
2019: MTL 1st, MTL 2nd, MTL 3rd, MTL 4th, WSH 5th, MTL 6th, MTL 7th

* – Pick will become Edmonton’s 2018 fourth-round selection if Al Montoya makes seven appearances of 30 minutes or more with the Oilers this season.

^ – Pick will become Montreal’s fourth-round selection (the Kings acquired it in a deadline day deal last year) if Los Angeles qualifies for the playoffs.

Trade Chips

In terms of rental players, the only player of note was Tomas Plekanec, who was flipped to Toronto this morning.  Beyond him, the Canadiens have a couple of depth players on expiring deals but there won’t be much of a market for them.  Goalie Antti Niemi has rebounded well since joining the team via waivers (2.60 GAA and a .922 SV% in ten appearances) which could be of interest to teams looking for some insurance between the pipes.

The non-rentals are where things get a bit more interesting.  Left winger Max Pacioretty has been in play for a couple of months and has been one of the more consistent goal scorers league-wide in recent seasons.  He is signed for one more year at a team-friendly $4.5MM and several teams have expressed an interest with the Kings being linked to him in recent discussions.  Despite a down season, he still leads Montreal in scoring this season with 37 points (17-20-37) in 61 games.  A pair of depth defenders in David Schlemko ($2.1MM through 2019-20) and Jordie Benn ($1.1MM through 2018-19) may also draw a little bit of attention from teams looking for defensive depth.

Five Players To Watch For: D Jordie Benn, LW Daniel Carr, G Antti Niemi, LW Max Pacioretty, D David Schlemko

Team Needs

1) Centers – There’s no way to put this lightly, Montreal’s depth down the middle is a major weakness.  Jonathan Drouin, who had spent most of his career on the wing prior to this season, has predictably struggled in the number one center role and while Phillip Danault has had a decent campaign, he’s better served as a third liner than a top-six.  It’s hard enough to find one top-six pivot nowadays but the Canadiens may very well be looking to add two between now and the start of next season.  Needless to say, that won’t be easy to accomplish.

2) Top-Four Defenseman – With the departure of Andrei Markov, Montreal went with a by-committee approach to filling his roster spot.  That hasn’t worked.  Karl Alzner was unable to handle the top minutes, Schlemko, Benn, and the recently-traded Jakub Jerabek are better served on the third pairing, while rookie Victor Mete isn’t ready for a top-pairing role yet either.  The only way this gets addressed now is if Pacioretty gets moved for a top defender; otherwise, this is a need that GM Marc Bergevin will look to address in the summer instead.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.