Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Canadiens Rumors

Montreal Open To Trading Jeff Petry

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The headline out of Montreal this morning could simply be that the Canadiens are open to trading anyone, as general manager Kent Hughes met with the media to talk about the recent Tyler Toffoli deal and what comes next for his franchise. On Ben Chiarot, there was no hiding that the Canadiens expect to trade him in the coming weeks but another name of interest also drew an honest answer from Hughes. As Eric Engels of Sportsnet relays, the Canadiens’ GM explained that if they can “find a trade that works for us and another team” they will trade Jeff Petry.

Finding that trade is obviously a difficult task, given Petry’s play this year, his age, and his contract situation. The 34-year-old has been a shadow of himself this season, appearing at times as if he’s completely lost the swagger and offensive upside that has made him one of the most dangerous defensemen in the league the last few years. He holds onto the puck less, joins the rush less and it has resulted in Petry recording just two goals and seven points in 41 games. That coming from a player who had at least 11 goals and 40 points in each of the last four seasons, including the shortened 56-game campaign in 2020-21.

Petry was a dynamo for the Canadiens last year and was a huge part of why they went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, logging more than 24 minutes a night in the postseason. This year that play has completely disappeared, making any acquisition a risky proposition.

Even on an expiring contract, Petry’s play would make him a question mark; it’s an even tougher trade to make when he has three years left on his deal. Signed to a four-year, $25MM extension back in 2020, the veteran defenseman is under contract through the 2024-25 season. He holds a no-movement clause that means he can’t be waived and a 15-team no-trade clause that will limit the number of teams that can even acquire him–or at least put some of the decision-making power in Petry’s hands. That contract also will see a salary ramp to $7.5MM in each of the next two seasons, with $3MM coming in signing bonuses each year. That’s not something that would seem that appealing to a contender unless the Canadiens retain money or Petry reverts to his previous level of performance.

Still, it’s obvious that Hughes and Jeff Gorton are fixing to make sweeping changes to the Montreal roster. They’ve already moved out one of their top trade chips in Tyler Toffoli, who was signed to a much more reasonable contract and will be flipping Chiarot before the deadline. If Petry is also on the move, you can probably count the number of truly safe players on one hand.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Calgary Flames Acquire Tyler Toffoli

at CDT | by 16 Comments

The Calgary Flames have been interested in Montreal Canadiens forward Tyler Toffoli for some time, and they’ve finally landed their man. The team has sent a 2022 first-round pick, a 2023 fifth-round pick, prospect Emil Heinemann and forward Tyler Pitlick to the Canadiens in exchange for Toffoli. The first-round selection is top-10 protected, though with Calgary’s current position that seems unlikely to occur anyway. If they do end up with a top-10 pick, Calgary would instead send their 2023 first-round selection and an extra fourth-round pick in 2024. Chris Johnston of TSN adds that no salary has been retained in the deal.

Toffoli, 29, has been an excellent offensive piece since arriving in Montreal, recording 37 goals and 70 points in 89 games with the Canadiens. While only nine of those goals have come this season, almost all of the Canadiens’ forwards have seen a dip in production due to the weak overall play of the team. If there’s anyone in the league that knows exactly what Toffoli can bring to the ice it is Flames head coach Darryl Sutter, who coached the forward to a Stanley Cup championship in 2014 when both were with the Los Angeles Kings.

The fact that Calgary has an obvious hole on the right side in the top-nine also makes Toffoli a perfect addition, though he can sometimes be a tough player to fit in with certain linemates. A powerful skater, he’s not a particularly graceful or efficient one, and his offensive chances usually come from his top-notch hockey IQ and anticipation instead of raw tools. Should he join Calgary, Sutter and company would need to find a mix that maximizes those abilities.

Notably, Toffoli also doesn’t represent a deadline rental. Signed to a four-year, $17MM contract in the fall of 2020, he is signed through 2023-24 at a $4.25MM cap hit. That’s certainly a reasonable amount given his offensive upside and the Flames have more than enough money coming off the books at the end of the year to go shopping for players with term. Even if they can get a deal done with Johnny Gaudreau to keep him in Calgary, names like Nikita Zadorov and Erik Gudbranson are all pending unrestricted free agent who could be shed to create some additional flexibility.

That also could be a pointed look at how Montreal GM Kent Hughes is planning on moving forward with the current roster. He has hinted already that there would be substantial changes to the roster–not just rental sell-offs like Chiarot–as he looks to turn around the franchise. With this trade they’ve made the first major incision into the core group, carving out a key player for a package of futures.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic notes that the Canadiens were especially interested in Heineman, who they will still need to sign. The 20-year-old prospect arrived in the Calgary organization from the Florida Panthers in last year’s Sam Bennett trade after being selected in the second round in 2020. A forward that plays for Leksands IF in the Swedish Hockey League, he has 16 points in 36 games. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic recently ranked Heineman as the seventh-best prospect in Calgary’s system.

Adding another first-round pick is also notable because this year’s draft is in Montreal. The team already had 11 picks and will likely add even more before the March 21 deadline, with players like Ben Chiarot still garnering interest. If you wanted to rebuild the entire system, that kind of a draft is the best way to start.

For Calgary though, a move like this shows just how invested they are in a long playoff run this season. The team could potentially lose Gaudreau to free agency, will have to work out a new deal with Matthew Tkachuk, and will no longer have luxuries like Oliver Kylington on a league-minimum contract after this season. They have all the pieces to contend for the Stanley Cup and Toffoli’s addition should only strengthen their lineup with some added secondary scoring.

By moving Pitlick out at the same time, the Flames also created enough room to avoid any cap issues. The biggest concern for most contenders–and enticing prospect for most sellers–is how difficult the flat cap has made it to add at the deadline. Calgary avoids having to pay a premium for salary retention, even if they are still handing out a fairly substantial package for the veteran forward. Pitlick happens to be joining his cousin Rem Pitlick with the Canadiens, who was claimed off waivers last month, but the newcomer could also be flipped if healthy at the deadline. Since he is a pending UFA, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Canadiens to keep him–Pitlick netted the Seattle Kraken a fourth-round pick last summer.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet first tweeted that talks were picking up steam between the two clubs. 

Ben Chiarot Out One Week With Lower-Body Injury

at CDT | by 3 Comments

After being moved to injured reserve earlier today, the Montreal Canadiens announced that defenseman Ben Chiarot will miss one week with a lower-body injury.

Chiarot is expected to be one of the top targets available at this year’s Trade Deadline. The 30-year-old left-shot defenseman has nine points through 44 games this season in a top-pairing role, averaging a healthy 23:17 per game. Multiple reports suggest that many teams are interested in the veteran of 459 NHL games, noting that it’s likely he’ll fetch a first-round pick.

He joins David Savard, Joel Edmundson, and captain Shea Weber on the list of injured Canadiens defensemen. Corey Schueneman was recalled from the AHL’s Laval Rocket this morning and played for the team in a 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres in Chiarot’s place.

Chiarot is in the final season of a three-year, $10.5MM contract he signed with Montreal during free agency in 2019 after spending a decade in the Winnipeg Jets organization. He was originally one of the last draft selections of the Atlanta Thrashers, selected 120th overall in 2009.

Montreal Canadiens Linked To Vincent Lecavalier

at CDT | by 13 Comments

Feb. 12: It seems there is at least something to the Lecavalier-Canadiens rumors. In an interview with the Montreal Gazette’s Stu Cowan, Hughes confirms that he does hope to bring in his former client as a member of the hockey operations staff. However, he dispels the rumors that Lecavalier would be in line for an Assistant GM job:

I’ve had conversations with him. To me, trying to identify from Vinnie what would you like to do? He’s installed in Tampa for the time being. He’s got a young family, he’s not going to pack up and move. It’s not fair for his family to do that at this point. So the question is how can we involve him in a way that interests him and benefits us? And if we can do that we’re going to do it. It’s not going to be assistant GM, despite all the rumors, but if we can find a way to do it — and I have ideas about it — then we’d absolutely like to do it. Everything that we do has to in part be about our culture and the kind of people that we bring in, what they stand for. And I don’t think that’s just in the locker room. That has to be the whole organization, from the top down.

Feb. 9, 8:50pm: It’s just like his playing days all over again. Despite a seemingly reliable report that Lecavalier would be joining the Canadiens, the man himself has denied the rumors. Lecavalier tells Simon Lorange of La Presse that the report of him accepting the Montreal Assistant GM job is erroneous and he is happy in Florida. While this could be temporary posturing by the former star player, it doesn’t appear that this is the case. Will the Lecavalier to Montreal rumors ever end?

Feb. 9, 7:30pm: The Montreal Canadiens are about as far away from the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning as a team can be. In their efforts to turn around a historically bad season and work their way back into relevance, it seems the club has decided to reunite the 2004 Stanley Cup-winning Bolts squad. After naming Martin St. Louis as interim head coach earlier today, the Habs are now expected to name his former teammate, Vincent Lecavalier, as Assistant General Manager, according to Montreal reporter Marc-Olivier Beaudoin.

In reality, it was almost certainly Lecavalier’s relationship to new Canadiens GM Kent Hughes that led to this hire rather than St. Louis. Hughes was Lecavalier’s agent for much of his decorated career. More recently, it was actually Lecavalier who Hughes credits for convincing him to leave agency behind and take the Montreal GM gig. Lecavalier’s ties to the city also undoubtedly assisted in this decision. A Quebec native, Lecavalier never played for the Canadiens, but was a rumored target throughout his career. While his playing days are now over, the wish of many Habs fans has finally been granted.

The first overall pick in the 1998 NHL Draft, the 41-year-old Lecavalier had a long, successful playing career before retiring in 2016. Best remembered as the long-time captain of the Lightning, Lecavalier also played for the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings at the end of his 1,212-game NHL career. Lecavalier finished just shy of 1,000 career points but in his prime the four-time All-Star was a perennial point-per-game scorer, including an unforgettable 52-goal, 108-point Rocket Richard-winning campaign in 2006-07. A power forward with elite possession ability, Lecavalier brings plenty of hockey IQ to his new role and will be an asset to the Canadiens, especially given his history with both the new GM and new head coach.

Canadiens Acquire Andrew Hammond From Wild

at CDT | by 7 Comments

In need of a netminder, the Montreal Canadiens have worked quickly to find a solution. Veteran Andrew Hammond has been acquired from the Minnesota Wild this morning, the team announced. Going the other way is AHL enforcer Brandon Baddock. Hammond is expected to join the NHL roster in Montreal immediately. Baddock will report to AHL Iowa.

As Sportsnet’s Eric Engels details, Montreal had found themselves in quite the pickle in goal. Presumptive NHL tandem Carey Price and Jake Allen are both sidelined due to injury, as is depth option Michael McNiven and none are especially close to returning. Sam Montembeault has performed admirably as the de facto starter, but he too is not playing at full strength. Meanwhile, current backup Cayden Primeau is floundering, allowing 17 goals in just 174 total minutes in his past five appearances. The Habs wanted to get the young keeper back to the AHL’s Laval Rocket before his NHL struggles started to impact his development, but had no one else to call upon. The team was also greatly limited by both the salary cap and contract cap when it comes to adding someone from the outside.

The solution was a one-for-one swap to bring in the affordable but reliable Hammond, which does not substantially impact the team’s status in regards to roster limits. “The Hamburglar”, 34, has surprisingly not played in an NHL game since 2017-18, though he has dressed as a backup at least once in each of the past three seasons, including earlier this year with Minnesota. At times during his early career, Hammond looked like he was on track to become a long-term NHL contributor, but has settled in to more of a No. 3 role. Yet, his NHL numbers are still somewhat remarkable – 27 wins, a .923 save percentage, and a 2.31 GAA in 56 games. Clearly, there is more to Hammond’s game than just his performance in limited in NHL action, otherwise he would in fact be an NHL regular. His unspectacular AHL numbers speak to that, as does the journeyman nature of his career over the past five years. With that said, a combination of experience, veteran presence, and results, however limited, make him a nice addition for a Montreal team desperate for stability.

The Wild could afford to move on from Hammond with a reliable NHL tandem of veteran Cam Talbot and youngster Kaapo Kahkonen and a large stable of minor league goaltenders, including veteran Zane McIntyre, who has played well for AHL Iowa, and prospects Dereck Baribeau and Hunter Jones. In Baddock, they gain some grit in the organization, which always nice to have at your disposal during the stretch run and postseason. Baddock only has one career NHL game, but has long been a fearsome presence in the AHL as a perennial hits and penalty minutes leader.

Christian Dvorak Drawing Trade Interest

at CDT | by 6 Comments

When the Montreal Canadiens lost Phillip Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi in quick succession, the decision they made on how to fill the hole at center came with some controversy. Despite some questions about how well the team would play in 2021-22 without the likes of Danault, Shea Weber, and Carey Price, the team used a first and second-round pick to acquire Christian Dvorak from the Arizona Coyotes. While this season’s complete collapse wasn’t expected, spending futures was certainly a risk with the Canadiens’ recent regular season struggles.

Now, less than a full season into his time in Montreal and Dvorak is in the rumor mill once again. Elliotte Friedman writes that some Western Conference teams are considering Dvorak, and the Sportsnet insider then explained further on the recent 32 Thoughts podcast:

Look he’s had a nightmare of a year. It’s just been a horrible nightmare of a year for him. But I think everybody recognizes that he’s a better player than he gets credit for this year. I think there are some teams in the west in particular that have looked at him and are interested in him and are kind of going up and down. On their list of people to acquire, he’s on it. I don’t have specifics yet but I think he’s definitely got some teams out there looking at him. 

It was always going to be a tough task to replace Danault’s elite defensive ability but the hope was that Dvorak could represent a more well-rounded player in Montreal and reach a level of offensive production that he had yet to experience with the Arizona Coyotes. In five years in the desert, he had career-highs of 18 goals and 38 points, not exactly first-line-center kind of numbers. Instead, Dvorak has scored at just about the same rate as he always has, recording seven goals and 16 points in 34 games for an 82-game pace of 17 goals and 38 points. Certainly, some of that can be attributed to injury and the depressing state of the Canadiens offense around him, but it’s not clear what kind of drop his value has experienced this season.

Notably, Dvorak isn’t one of those players on an expiring contract that is shipped to a contender at the deadline in order to provide some depth for the playoffs. He is signed through 2024-25 at a $4.45MM cap hit, a contract he signed in 2018 right out of his entry-level deal. That term means the Canadiens obviously don’t have to move him, though new general manager Kent Hughes has hinted that big changes will be coming to the Montreal roster in the coming weeks and months.

The Canadiens don’t really have any centers that are banging down the door to be installed behind Nick Suzuki in the top-six. Ryan Poehling and Jake Evans have been inconsistent through the early parts of their professional careers, while Jonathan Drouin has been used exclusively on the wing for quite some time. Among the team’s top five prospects–ranked by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic–only Jan Mysak of the Hamilton Bulldogs has much real experience in the middle.

There is of course the upcoming draft, which has a pair of centers at the top. Shane Wright and Logan Cooley lead the way as the top two prospects on most lists, a position the Canadiens have a good chance at drafting given their current place in the standings. But Dvorak’s future doesn’t necessarily need to be tied to those two at all, given the fact that even if they step directly into the NHL they would be on entry-level contracts.

Instead, the decision whether to trade Dvorak at the deadline or not would signal more how the new administration views this current group of Canadiens. If it’s just a short retool in order, his contract is still long enough and reasonable enough to keep around. If it’s a full rebuild, trading a 26-year-old with three years left on his deal–and before his value drops any lower–might be a prudent decision.

Canadiens GM Promises More Moves

at CDT | by 1 Comment

  • When Martin St. Louis was introduced as the next head coach of the Montreal Canadiens today, general manager Kent Hughes explained that it wouldn’t be the only change he makes. In fact, he told reporters including Arpon Basu of The Athletic that the coaching change is “the first of several.” Hughes has already said he’s open to anything, not just selling off rental pieces at the trade deadline. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period adds that the Canadiens have been getting lots of calls on players that still have some term left.

Montreal Canadiens Hire Martin St. Louis As Interim Head Coach

at CDT | by 16 Comments

The Montreal Canadiens have gone a bit off the board to replace Dominique Ducharme, who was fired earlier today. Instead of going with someone that already has coaching experience at the NHL level, the team has instead hired Hockey Hall of Fame player Martin St. Louis as interim head coach. General manager Kent Hughes has released the following statement:

We are very happy to welcome Martin to the Canadiens organization. Not only are we adding an excellent hockey man, but with Martin we are bringing in a proven winner and a man whose competitive qualities are recognized by all who have crossed his path.

St. Louis, 46, has no formal experience as a coach in the NHL, though he did serve as a powerplay consultant for the Columbus Blue Jackets for part of the 2018-19 season.

Still, there’s no one doubting his hockey knowledge. St. Louis played 1,134 regular season games over a long NHL career, scoring 1,033 points. He added another 107 playoff contests, winning the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004. Olympic gold. World Cup gold. Art Ross and Hart trophies. There’s very little that St. Louis failed to accomplish as a player, despite going undrafted as an undersized forward in a league that was still focused on size.

There are also many obvious connections with the new Montreal front office. Not only did St. Louis play for Jeff Gorton when he was still in the front office of the New York Rangers, but their kids also played youth hockey together. St. Louis’ son Ryan now plays at Northeastern with Jack and Riley Hughes, sons of the Montreal GM. Hughes was also the agent for Vincent Lecavalier, a longtime teammate of St. Louis in Tampa Bay. Lecavalier has also been linked to the Canadiens organization in recent days, though the role he would take on is not clear.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that St. Louis is only signed through the end of this season and the two sides will talk about the future at the end of that short tenure. With the Canadiens completely floundering and at the bottom of the standings, it’s hard to expect St. Louis to really turn around the program. If he can get at least some sort of change out of the group, however, perhaps he’ll make the jump right from peewee head coach to NHL head coach on a full-time basis.

Montreal Canadiens Fire Dominique Ducharme

at CDT | by 20 Comments

The new front office leadership of the Montreal Canadiens has made their first big move. Dominique Ducharme has been relieved of his duties as head coach, effective immediately. His replacement will be named later today according to the team and the status of the assistant coaches has not been changed. Kent Hughes, Montreal’s new GM, released a statement:

We would like to sincerely thank Dominique for his work and contributions to the Montreal Canadiens organization. At this point in the season, we felt it was in the best interest of the club to make a change. 

Ducharme, 48, took over as head coach of the Canadiens in February of last year when Claude Julien was let go and ended up leading the team all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Even during that run there were questions about whether he was the right person to continue leading the Canadiens, but the interim tag was eventually removed and Ducharme signed a three-year contract extension in July. That deal keeps him under contract through the 2023-24 season but he will no longer be behind the Canadiens bench as Hughes and Jeff Gorton start to put their stamp on the team.

It’s been a disastrous year for Montreal, with the leadership group in tatters after Shea Weber and Carey Price were sidelined by injury and players like Phillip Danault were lost to free agency. The team has cratered in the standings and on the ice, with some players even showing a lack of effort at times. The Canadiens are 8-30-7 on the season and were embarrassed by the New Jersey Devils last night, losing 7-1 on home ice. The final goal last night was scored by Tomas Tatar, notably a player that was scratched in the playoffs by Ducharme last year.

If the Canadiens hire someone else to take over as head coach right away, they would actually be paying three people for that job. Julien’s contract, which carried a $5MM salary, is still on the books for this season. That, plus the $1.7MM that Ducharme is believed to earn, is certainly not an insignificant amount to a team that has also dealt with attendance restrictions this season and will continue to do so for the next few weeks.

Interestingly enough, Gorton–who was given the role of executive vice president of hockey operations after Marc Bergevin was let go–actually told reporters earlier this season that he would not be making a coaching change until the summer. That plan has obviously changed with Hughes’ addition and the continued losses piling up in Montreal.

The Canadiens have a big offseason ahead of them that includes hosting the draft where they currently hold 11 selections. That number could grow as the trade deadline approaches, though there aren’t a ton of expiring contracts on the books. Whoever does take over as head coach will certainly not be able to bring the team back from the hole they’ve dug themselves, meaning it could very well be an interim position for the rest of this season.

Jean-Charles Lajoie of TVA Sports was to report that Ducharme had been fired. 

Dvorak Not Yet Ready To Return

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • Christian Dvorak still isn’t ready to return to the Montreal Canadiens lineup and will miss tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Dvorak has been out since suffering an upper-body injury in a January 24 match against the Minnesota Wild, and despite being cleared yesterday, will not play this evening. It’s been a tough year for the 26-year-old, who has just seven goals and 16 points in 34 games for his new club.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top