A trade is coming for the Montreal Canadiens - the only question is when.
Stu Cowan said on The Sick Podcast with Tony Marino that there’s no sign the Canadiens are in a hurry, and that patience remains the approach from Kent Hughes even with trade talk building around the team. Cowan’s read is that something will get done before December, but not necessarily anytime soon.
After the trade deadline, Hughes told reporters that he wished he had been able to make a deal sooner. Since then, though, Cowan said the Canadiens have not shown any urgency to force a move.
“He said he couldn’t say when it would come. He said it could be July.
That didn’t happen. Could be August.
He said it could be September. It could be October.
It could be November.”
Cowan pointed to the amount still unresolved in Montreal as one reason nothing has been rushed. Arber Xhekaj remains unsigned, Zachary Bolduc remains unsigned, and Cowan said those situations could factor into whatever comes next. He added that Xhekaj appears more likely than Bolduc to be moved, and suggested a sign-and-trade involving Xhekaj could be part of the picture.
“There’s a lot of balls in the air when it comes to it,” Cowan said.
He also noted that injuries could change the plan, and that the Michael Hage situation is another variable. Cowan raised the possibility that Hage could change his mind and come to Montreal for training camp, even to the point of opening the season as the second-line center.
For now, the message is simple: the Canadiens are not treating this like a deadline-driven decision. Cowan said fans may be getting restless, but he sees the organization sticking to the same patient approach that has defined the rebuild.
“So again, it could happen at any time. But I mean, I don’t see us going into December or something like that without a trade being made.”
In Other News...
Canadiens Fans Are Revisiting A Draft Choice That Still Hurts
The 2013 NHL Draft remains one of those nights Canadiens fans still revisit when the conversation turns to what might have been. Montral went with Michael McCarron at No. 25, looking to add size and a heavier edge to the roster, and he did eventually get into the lineup at times. But much of his development came in the AHL, and his time with the organization ended when he was traded to the Nashville Predators.
Right after that pick, Anaheim took Shea Theodore at No. 26, and his career path has been the sort that keeps hindsight buzzing around Montral. Theodore grew into a regular NHL defenseman, won a Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights and even represented Canada at the Olympics, which only sharpens the contrast for Canadiens supporters still thinking about how different the blue line might have looked. It is the kind of draft slide that never fully goes away because the alternate timeline is easy to picture, even if it will never be answered. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes Suzukis outlook so intriguing now is that last season may not have been the peak, only the latest step. There is a growing sense around the Canadiens that he can challenge the 100-point mark again if the rest of the roster gives him enough support, and that possibility carries real weight as the team looks ahead. The shape of Montreals forward group and any changes around him will matter, but Suzuki has already shown he can keep raising the standard even as the expectations around him keep climbing. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face A Quiet Roster Squeeze That Could Reshape Next Season
The Canadiens have spent much of the summer locking in pieces of their core, but the quieter challenge now is figuring out what the next version of the roster is supposed to look like. Eight players are set to hit free agency after the season, and while Montreal has some obvious names it would like to keep around, the picture is already getting complicated enough that the front office has to balance continuity, cost and timing all at once.
Oliver Kapanen, Alex Newhook and Jayden Struble look positioned to be part of the conversation going forward, but the list of possible departures is where the real pressure starts to build. Samuel Montembeault, Kirby Dach, Josh Anderson, Phillip Danault and Alexandre Carrier could all be moving into what amounts to a final year in Montreal, and with contract decisions and trade possibilities both hanging over the group, the Canadiens may end up reshaping more than just the bottom of the roster before next season arrives. [Read more 🡒]