The Canadiens may be willing to let the goalie situation breathe a little longer.
Sam Montembeault is expected back sometime around mid-November, and with Jacob Fowler making the most of his chance, trade chatter around Montembeault is only going to pick up. The 30-year-old is in the final season of his contract, and he’s two years removed from a 31-win campaign. Last season was a step back, as he appeared in just 25 games.
Still, Montreal doesn’t sound like a team in a hurry to force the issue. David Pagnotta said on TSN 690 radio in Montreal that the Canadiens won’t rush anything and are fine with carrying three goalies all season if the return doesn’t meet their price.
If Montreal does decide to move Montembeault later on, the New York Rangers are one club that could be in the market for a goalie.
Elsewhere on the NHL trade board, Chris Johnston of The Athletic says Connor Hellebuyck is no longer on it, and the list has grown to 20 names. The board was put together before Nikita Kucherov said he wanted a trade.
At the top sits Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings, followed by teammate Simon Edvinsson. Columbus Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov checks in at No. 3, with Nashville’s Ryan O’Reilly at No. 4 and Calgary’s Morgan Frost at No. 5.
Jake DeBrusk of the Vancouver Canucks lands at No. 6, Rickard Rakell of the Pittsburgh Penguins at No. 7, and St.
Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington comes in at No. 8.
Boston’s Pavel Zacha is ninth, while Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes is 10th.
The rest of the top 20 includes Erik Karlsson, Elias Pettersson, Shane Wright, Nicolas Hague, Zach Whitecloud, Drew O’Connor, Danila Yurov, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Kevin Korchinski and Vince Dunn.
In Other News...
Canadiens Face A Costly Ryan O'Reilly Deadline Dilemma
With Nick Suzuki out, the Canadiens are again staring at a familiar deadline question: how aggressively should they chase help down the middle? Pierre Dorion has pointed to Ryan OReilly as a fit for Montreal, and the appeal is obvious. He is a proven center, he is in the final year of his contract, and he would bring a level of experience the roster could use right now.
The harder part is figuring out what such a move would cost, because Montreal would not be shopping for a bargain. Any deal for OReilly would almost certainly require real assets, the kind of prospects and draft capital that can thin out a pipeline in a hurry. For a Canadiens front office trying to balance urgency with long-term value, the price tag may end up being the biggest obstacle of all. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Loom In Two Massive NHL Trade Storylines
A fresh NHL trade market has already started to take shape after Seattle and Nashville swapped Shane Wright and Matthew Wood, a one-for-one move that sent two young players searching for a clean slate. For Montreal, the bigger significance may be what it signals around the league: the Canadiens are suddenly in the conversation on more than one front, with their name surfacing as a possible destination in cases where established players start looking for a change of scenery.
Dylan Larkin is currently sitting out while his situation unfolds, and Montreal could become part of the picture if he revises his trade preferences. Nikita Kucherov has also reportedly made clear he wants out of Tampa Bay, and if the Lightning ever decide to entertain offers, Montreal is among the teams being mentioned as a possible landing spot. For a Canadiens club still trying to position itself for the next step, simply being in those conversations matters, even if the real decisions are still to come. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Still Face One Big Question In Kent Hughes Trade Push
The Canadiens search for a top-six center has kept Kent Hughes active on the trade front, and the names floating around show just how ambitious Montreal is trying to be. David Pagnotta reported that the club has explored possibilities involving Kirill Marchenko, Matthew Knies and Robert Thomas as Hughes continues to look for a major addition that could change the look of the lineup down the middle.
Even with that kind of due diligence, the path to a deal has not gotten any easier. Montreal still has to navigate a market where some targets may not want to come, while Hughes also has limits on what he is willing to move out of the organization, which has slowed any blockbuster from materializing. For now, the Canadiens are still hunting for center help, but the biggest question is whether they can land it without paying a price they are not prepared to meet. [Read more 🡒]