Trade Deadline Primer: Montreal Canadiens
Although we’re now a little over two months into the season, the trade deadline is less than a month away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens were one of the busier teams over the offseason in terms of adding to their roster following a decent showing in the bubble that saw them upset Pittsburgh in the Qualifying Round. They came out of the gate flying but have struggled since then with a coaching change not really affecting their on-ice success and now they face a condensed schedule down the stretch due to their COVID-related postponements. GM Marc Bergevin told reporters today that he doesn’t expect to do much but Montreal does have a few chips to move if they want to try to add between now and the deadline.
Record
14-8-9, 4th in North Division
Deadline Status
Light Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$2.06MM in full-season space ($3.57MM at the trade deadline), 0/3 retention slots used, 48/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.
(These amounts are factoring in Paul Byron on the taxi squad but the veteran has been in the lineup for all but one game this season. Knowing he’ll be recalled several more times, their cap space is currently overstated.)
Upcoming Draft Picks
2021: MTL 1st, MTL 2nd, TB 2nd, CHI 3rd, MTL 3rd, WSH 3rd, MTL 4th, STL 4th, VGK 4th, MTL 5th, OTT 5th, PHI 5th, MTL 6th, MTL 7th
2022: MTL 1st, MTL 2nd, MTL 3rd, MTL 4th, MTL 5th, MTL 6th, MTL 7th, STL 7th
Trade Chips
Few players have had their usage significantly altered since the coaching change but one that has is winger Artturi Lehkonen and not for the better. A fixture under Claude Julien, the 25-year-old has been a frequent healthy scratch under Dominique Ducharme. Lekhonen hasn’t been able to repeat his goal production from his rookie year but before this season, he had settled in as a third-line winger that could produce around 25 to 30 points while being a quality defensive player. With a $2.4MM cap hit (and only a $2.2MM qualifying offer this summer), Lehkonen could be someone that teams could justify taking back to match money with a low enough qualifier to be part of the plans beyond this season.
Jake Evans made the team out of training camp and while he has been in the lineup most nights, his role has also decreased under Ducharme and if Montreal only opts to try to make a small upgrade, his spot is the one that could be filled. He’s signed for one more year at $750K and at 24, he may be of interest to a rebuilding team. Joel Armia ($2.6MM) gives Montreal some size and defensive prowess on the wing but if they need to match money for a rental, he would be the likeliest of their pending unrestricted free agents to move.
Victor Mete’s trade request has been lingering for a while now and with the injury to Ben Chiarot, the Canadiens may be less inclined to move him now. However, if they are able to add a defenseman between now and April 12, the 22-year-old would become more expendable and with a $735K price tag, he’s certainly affordable for pretty much every team.
In terms of future assets, the announcement that Jordan Harris will return to Northeastern for his senior season (where he was named team captain yesterday) could have teams inquiring about his availability. He has outperformed his draft stock but with the temptation to get to free agency being stronger next year, he’s someone that Montreal could part with if they’re concerned about his willingness to sign although they’ve given no indication of concern so far. With a league-leading 14 draft picks, they could certainly deal from that surplus as well.
Others to Watch For: D Cale Fleury ($772K, RFA), Ryan Poehling, ($925K, RFA)
Team Needs
1) Impact Defenseman – Chiarot’s hand injury – one he is expected to return from by the end of the regular season – has left the left side of Montreal’s back end quite thin with only Joel Edmundson and Brett Kulak being somewhat proven options. Someone that would fit alongside Shea Weber would be ideal although unless they’re willing to pay up for Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm, they may not be able to address this one in the coming weeks.
2) Center Depth – While Montreal’s first three centers are pretty well set in Nick Suzuki, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Phillip Danault, an upgrade on the fourth line would be beneficial. It would give them a bit more security if their younger middlemen falter and given their struggles as a team at the faceoff dot, one that can take some key draws would also be desirable. With their cap room and Bergevin’s suggestion that they’ll largely be quiet, this may be the type of move he’s looking to make.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Canadiens, Pitlick, Juulsen, Barron
The Montreal Canadiens are sitting fourth in the North Division as they deal with a COVID shutdown through Sunday, but have played fewer games than all of their division foes. One might think that would push GM Marc Bergevin to add to his squad and try to climb even higher in the standings, but the Montreal executive once again downplayed the idea at media availability today.
As Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets, Bergevin was asked multiple times about his trade deadline plans and repeatedly explained that no one should expect much from the Canadiens because of difficult cap restraints. Of course, no matter how many times he says it, Bergevin isn’t convincing some of his peers. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote earlier this week that some other managers around the league believe the Canadiens made a push for Mattias Ekholm. Bergevin’s availability was before the report came out about Canada potentially reducing the quarantine for NHL players to seven days, though it is unclear if that would have any effect on Montreal’s deadline plans.
- If you thought Tyler Pitlick could make for a good depth addition at the deadline, perhaps not. The Arizona Coyotes forward is out “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old Pitlick has 11 points in 33 games this season for the Coyotes and is signed through next season at a $1.75MM cap hit. He had been seeing more and more ice time recently, including a whopping 24:08 earlier this month in an overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
- The New York Rangers have several wingers at the NHL level that were selected at the very top of the draft, but perhaps it is one that went 174th overall that fans should be excited about. Morgan Barron scored another two goals today for the Hartford Wolf Pack and now has seven in his first 11 professional games. The sixth-round pick was a star at Cornell University, becoming a Hobey Baker finalist and scoring 32 points in 29 games during the 2019-20 campaign. Standing 6’4″ with enviable skill, he’s turning heads at the minor league level already.
- The Florida Panthers have assigned Noah Juulsen to the AHL on a conditioning loan as he works his way back from injured reserve. Juulsen hasn’t played since February 25 and has just four appearances on the season. The 23-year-old has been injured basically his entire professional career, never playing more than 54 games in a season at all levels combined. The Panthers have also recalled Eetu Luostarinen from the taxi squad, sending Brett Connolly back to it in his place.
NHL Postpones Three More Montreal Games
After two Montreal Canadiens players–Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Joel Armia–entered the NHL’s COVID Protocols yesterday, the league decided to postpone their match against the Edmonton Oilers. Now, the league has shut the Canadiens down through March 28, postponing three more games in the process. The team was set to face the Oilers tomorrow and Friday, then take on the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night. Now, the league is hoping that Montreal can reopen its training facilities next Monday, March 29.
These are the first postponements the North Division has experienced this season and will certainly complicate the schedule for Montreal down the stretch. The team has already had their big breaks and plays basically every other day through the end of the season. There is a small window in early May between games that could be used to fit in some matches, but it seems much more likely that the Canadiens will have their schedule extended if all 56 games are going to fit in before the postseason begins. The NHL built in some time between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs for exactly this reason, but the closer it gets to the end the harder it is to reschedule games that are missed for whatever reason.
Already the Canadiens had played the fewest games in the North Division, meaning their shutdown is basically a worst-case scenario for the NHL. Hopefully, things will be able to get back to normal next week and they won’t miss any more time.
Canadiens-Oilers Postponed Due To COVID Protocol
While the NHL’s Canadian contingent had been largely immune to the Coronavirus this season, with no missed games and few names on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list, the North Division has finally fallen victim. After Montreal’s Joel Armia and later Jesperi Kotkaniemi landed on the CPRA list today, the NHL has decided to postpone the Canadiens’ Monday night match-up with the Edmonton Oilers, per an official announcement.
For now, it appears that the league is going to take this situation one day at a time, limiting their action to only postponing tonight’s singular game. There will be a further update tomorrow, likely as the league gathers more information. There is no way of knowing the specific reason why Armia and Kotkaniemi landed on the CPRA list today, as teams are not required to disclosed that information and a number of scenarios fall under the COVID Protocol. The Canadiens were expected to host the Oilers two more times this week, on Wednesday and Friday.
The NHL had overcome a number of team-wide infections and had gone weeks without a game postponement until the past few days, with the Boston Bruins first skipping games on Saturday and this upcoming Tuesday and now Montreal missing at least one game, if not more. While the CPRA list still remains relatively short compared to last month, this is a becoming a worrisome trend for the league.
Jordan Harris Returning To Northeastern University
The Montreal Canadiens will not be signing NCAA standout Jordan Harris to an entry-level contract this spring. The young defenseman has decided, after discussions with the organization and members of his family, to return to Northeastern University for his senior season in 2021-22. According to their release, Harris “remains totally committed to the Monreal Canadiens for the future.”
Despite that commitment, the pressure will be on the Canadiens next year when Harris will be just a few months away from becoming an unrestricted free agent. After his senior season, Montreal would only retain his draft rights through August 15, 2022, after which time he would be able to sign with anyone he wanted. Though the team may feel comfortable now, it does certainly pose additional risk.
Harris, 20, was outstanding this season for Northeastern, recording 19 points in 19 games while serving as an alternate captain. A former Team USA World Junior member, the smooth-skating defenseman was a third-round pick in 2018 and has developed quite nicely at the collegiate level.
There isn’t a direct line to playing time in Montreal next season, given they have six NHL-level defensemen already signed, but that does change in 2022. Ben Chiarot and Brett Kulak are both unrestricted free agents after the 2021-22 campaign, perhaps opening the door a crack for Harris to compete at the NHL level. That’s certainly not a guarantee, but spending another year in college will only help his offensive development as he logs huge minutes for the Huskies.
Canadiens Have Made Contract Offer To Jordan Harris
- The Canadiens have made a contract offer to defense prospect Jordan Harris that would see the first year be burned this season, reports Sportsnet’s Eric Engels (Twitter link). The 20-year-old recently wrapped up his junior season with Northeastern and are awaiting the brackets for the Frozen Four tournament to see if their year will continue; no decision on whether to sign or stay in college will be made until the tournament is set on Sunday. Engels notes that Montreal has offered to burn that first year in the NHL which suggests that they could have plans for him down the stretch.
Several Players Placed On Waivers
March 17: Vesey and Forsberg were claimed by the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators respectively, but both Byron and Grigorenko have cleared. The latter two can now be placed on the taxi squad or sent to the minor leagues.
March 16: Several players have been placed on waivers today, including Paul Byron of the Montreal Canadiens. Byron is joined by Jimmy Vesey of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anton Forsberg of the Winnipeg Jets, and Mikhail Grigorenko of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Byron has already experienced this once this season, clearing waivers a month ago. Since then he had played more than ten games, meaning if the Canadiens want to place him on the taxi squad he’ll have to clear again. It’s been a disastrous two seasons for the 31-year-old forward, with just 17 points since the start of the 2019-20 campaign. That includes just two goals in 27 games this season, a far cry from the player who was one of the most effective even-strength scorers in the league just a few years ago. With the development of other younger players on the Montreal roster, Byron finds himself either buried in the lineup or on the sidelines watching. His $3.4MM cap hit (through 2022-23) certainly makes him a tough target to claim.
Vesey hasn’t seen waivers before, but it doesn’t come as much of a surprise at this point. The 27-year-old forward has seven points in 30 games for the Maple Leafs and has been relegated to the fourth line in recent weeks. He has only cracked the 10-minute mark three times in his last ten games and played just 4:41 a few nights ago. With the Maple Leafs expecting Wayne Simmonds back soon and facing a delicate cap situation, Vesey’s time has come to be moved to the taxi squad.
Forsberg was already claimed off waivers twice this season, first by the Carolina Hurricanes and then by the Jets just a few days later. Now he faces another round that could change his destination as teams are still struggling to find NHL experience in net. Injuries all across the league make goaltenders like Forsberg valuable, if only because he could enter an NHL game in a pinch. It’s not like that’s actually happened this season though, through the first two months Forsberg hasn’t played a single game.
Grigorenko is an interesting name, after signing a one-year $1.2MM deal with the Blue Jackets as a return to the NHL. The 12th overall pick in 2012, Grigorenko left the NHL in 2017 to return to Russia and play in the KHL. After developing his game further there, his return was supposed to be a strong addition for Columbus. Unfortunately, with just seven points in 18 games and limited minutes, it hasn’t really worked out. Perhaps another team believes they can get the best out of him down the stretch, but a return to the KHL seems possible after this season concludes.
Canadiens Have Shown Interest In Luke Glendening
Red Wings center Luke Glendening is no stranger to being involved in trade deadline speculation. Veteran role players like him are always in demand at this time of year but no move ever came to fruition. However, now that he’s in the final year of his contract and Detroit already way out of playoff contention, this feels like a case of when and not if he’s dealt and there should be quite a few suitors for his services.
One of those suitors is Montreal, reports Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. The Canadiens have struggled at the faceoff dot this season and Glendening is the best in the league among qualifying centers in that regard, winning 65.7 of his draws which is well above his career 55% average. He also leads all Detroit forwards in shorthanded ice time per game and the Canadiens find their penalty kill in the bottom ten in the league.
While the 31-year-old isn’t known for his offensive contributions, he has already equalled his point production from last season with three goals and six assists through 27 games; his 0.33 point per game average is also a career best.
As is the case with many teams that are looking to buy, the salary cap will be a challenge. While Glendening’s cap hit of $1.8MM isn’t particularly exorbitant, it’s more than they can afford right now. Detroit could retain up to half of that to make a deal more affordable but that would only up the asking price. Of course, there is also the two-week quarantine period to consider from Montreal’s perspective (or any other Canadian-based team interested in acquiring him).
As things stand, it may not be a trade deadline that sees plenty of top-end talent changing hands with role players that are more affordable on the cap becoming a higher priority. For the Red Wings, they hold one of the more interesting ones in Glendening and Montreal certainly won’t be the only team calling about him in the coming weeks.
Montreal Not Looking To Add Defensemen
When Ben Chiarot needed surgery to repair a broken hand, many speculated that the Montreal Canadiens would go out and acquire another defenseman through trade. Mattias Ekholm was immediately linked to the team, though the financial fit never did seem right. Ekholm has another year on his contract and the Canadiens have already spent big on the back end, with four players earning at least $3.5MM this season and next.
Speaking to the media today including Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin confirmed that they are not looking for Chiarot’s replacement, especially because the big defenseman could be back before the end of the regular season. Chiarot was given a six to eight-week timeline, but Bergevin believes it will be closer to six. Moving him to long-term injured reserve could open space now, but the Canadiens would be in quite the pickle should Chiarot be ready to return before the playoffs.
In fact, Bergevin downplayed the trade market entirely, stressing how little cap flexibility the team has this season. That means this could be the Montreal roster for the rest of the year, save for some minor tweaks.
On defense, the team already had an NHL-ready player to step into Chiarot’s absence with Victor Mete, but he actually didn’t play last night either. Instead, Xavier Ouellet came into the lineup and logged just over 13 minutes in his season debut, further complicating the situation with the 22-year-old Mete. After playing 171 games for the Canadiens over the last three seasons, he’s been on the outside looking in for much of this year, playing just seven games. His agent made headlines earlier in the year suggesting that a change of scenery would be welcomed, something that seems likely to come up again if he continues to sit in place of Ouellet.
Still, it doesn’t sound like Bergevin will be making any sweeping changes—though he has been known to immediately contradict his public statements in the past. The fact is the financial situation all around the league will make trades or any kind difficult.
Ben Chiarot Undergoes Surgery
The Montreal Canadiens will be without Ben Chiarot for quite some time. The big defenseman underwent surgery on his broken hand today and has been given a recovery timeline of six to eight weeks. Chiarot broke the hand earlier this month, likely when he fought J.T. Miller of the Vancouver Canucks.
Even the low end of six weeks is getting awfully close to the end of the regular season for the Canadiens, who finish up their schedule on May 8. That means the team must find an answer in the top-four and quickly if they want to stay in contention in the North Division. In each of the two games since Chiarot suffered the injury, both losses, Victor Mete has come into the lineup and Joel Edmundson has logged more than 20 minutes. Alexander Romanov, a rookie, also cracked that mark in the team’s most recent game, skating almost all of his 20:33 at even-strength. If that’s the plan going forward, it’s a lot of pressure on the 21-year-old.
There is potentially the trade market, though Chiarot’s specific timeline may actually complicate things further. If he was out for the entire regular season they could simply move his contract to long-term injured reserve (after a call-up to get them right up against the cap ceiling) and use the additional cap flexibility. But given he may come back for a few games before the end of the year, the team will have to be a little more careful about adding salary.
Of course, that is if the Canadiens still have their sights set on a deep playoff run. The team just lost two straight to the team chasing them in the standings, leaving them with just a two-point lead on the Calgary Flames and a three-point lead on the Vancouver Canucks.
If you’re speculating on a potential fit, Mattias Ekholm screams out as the perfect answer for the Canadiens right now. The Nashville Predators defenseman makes just $3.75MM, a hair above Chiarot’s $3.5MM hit, and could slide in right next to captain Shea Weber to make a formidable pair. The Canadiens have plenty of draft capital to spend if they want to, including 14 picks in this year’s event. The one reservation the team may have for Ekholm however is that his contract is through the end of next season. The Canadiens already have plenty of money committed to their defense and will want more opportunity for Romanov moving forward. With some key forwards to re-sign, adding money without shipping some out may not make a ton of sense.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images