It has been a rocky start for the Canadiens this season who have managed just five victories in their first 20 games of the season just months after appearing in the Stanley Cup Final. Despite that, GM Marc Bergevin told Sportsnet’s Eric Engels that he isn’t interested in making a trade to simply try to shake things up:
If I make one move to make one change, unless everyone else picks it up, it’s not going to make a difference. It’s well known that just making trades to make trades—especially with our situation with the cap—it just makes no sense to make a lateral move just to make a lateral move. If you’d like to make a move, it’s to make a move to make your team better. Just making a move to make a move, I’m never going to do that just to say I made a trade and here we go.
Notwithstanding Bergevin’s contract situation, a complicating factor in any move he tries to make is Montreal’s salary cap situation. On the surface, they have plenty of room with Carey Price and Paul Byron joining Shea Weber on LTIR. However, only Weber is out for the season so when Price and Byron are activated, they will basically be in a spot where they’ll need to match or clear money to make a move. It’s a bit early in the year for those types of trades so don’t expect much on the trade from the Canadiens anytime soon.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon could return at some point on their five-game road trip that begins at the start of next month, notes NHL.com’s Rick Sadowski. He has missed the last two weeks with a lower-body injury but still sits fifth in team scoring with ten points in nine games. Meanwhile, Sadowski adds that goaltender Pavel Francouz faced shots for the first time at practice today as he tries to work his way back from a lower-body injury of his own that has kept him out for the whole season so far. The team hasn’t shown much confidence in current backup Jonas Johansson so getting Francouz back soon would give them a boost between the pipes.
- After clearing waivers earlier this month, Dallas winger Blake Comeau hasn’t made it to the AHL just yet. Instead, it turns out that he is dealing with a nagging injury, relays Mike Heika of the Stars team site (Twitter link). The plan is for the 35-year-old to be re-evaluated in three weeks. Comeau had a goal in six games before passing through waivers unclaimed while averaging just 11:28 per game.
Team clearly misses Kotkaniemi.
No they don’t…they miss danault and weber
lol. they miss a 3rd line C?
Exactly.
If you put Kotkaniemi’s four total points all season back into the Habs ledger, they are leading the Atlantic.
Hope Francouz is finally ready to go. We’re going to need him healthy. GO AVS!!!!