A surprisingly modest asking price for Elias Pettersson could put the Canadiens in the conversation.
According to The Athletic’s Thomas Drance, Vancouver’s cost to move the star center may be low enough to make people “fall out of their chairs.” The kind of return being discussed sounds closer to the Darnell Nurse deal than a blockbuster haul, which would mean a secondary-level prospect and little else.
That matters in Montreal because the Canadiens have the kind of young pieces that could fit that framework. Jayden Struble, Adam Engstrom, or Owen Beck could all be used as trade assets, with Engstrom or Struble looking like the closest Montreal equivalent to Shakir Mukhamadullin, the 24-year-old defenseman Edmonton got back in the Nurse trade.
Pettersson’s situation is complicated by the numbers attached to him. He carries an $11.6 million annual contract and is coming off a 51-point season with a -30 rating. Vancouver, meanwhile, is coming off a brutal year of its own, finishing 32nd and last in the NHL with 58 points and a -100 goal differential.
If the price really is that manageable, Montreal would at least have to think about it. The biggest issue is cap space. The Canadiens have just over $13 million available, but Zachary Bolduc, Kirby Dach, and Arber Xhekaj are still waiting on new contracts.
To make a deal work, Montreal would likely need to send money back to Vancouver. A contract like Phillip Danault’s, with a $5.5 million cap hit, or Alexandre Texier’s could help even things out. The other path would be for the Canucks to hold part of Pettersson’s salary, which would make an $8 million or $9 million hit far easier for the Canadiens to swallow.
Even then, it would be a swing with real risk attached. But as the market stands, that’s the kind of gamble Kent Hughes would have to weigh carefully. Talent like Pettersson does not come around often, though in this case, the salary cap may end up deciding everything.
In Other News...
Canadiens Just Added A Young Defenseman Fans Will Want To Track
The Canadiens have quietly added another name to their defensive pipeline, with Kent Hughes signing Konyushkov and keeping the young blueliner on loan in the KHL for another year before he makes the jump to North America. It is the kind of move Montreal has leaned into as it tries to stock the blue line with players who can grow into NHL roles without being rushed, and this one comes with a profile that has already started to draw attention.
Konyushkovs game and offensive touch have drawn comparisons to Alexandre Carrier, which gives Canadiens fans a pretty clear idea of the type of defender Montreal thinks it may be getting down the road. If he develops the way the organization hopes, he could eventually fit into a similar role on the right side of the blue line, giving the team another mobile, puck-moving option to track closely over the next year. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens May Have Already Drawn A Hard Line With Kirby Dach
Peyton Krebs new four-year, $18 million deal in Buffalo has quickly become a useful marker in the Kirby Dach negotiations, and it gives Montreal a pretty clear reference point as the sides head toward arbitration. Krebs had the healthier, fuller season, playing all 82 games with 39 points and a plus-13 rating, while Dachs year was interrupted by injuries and produced 15 points in 37 games with a minus-2 mark.
The Canadiens have already put down a $4 million qualifying offer, and the July 30 arbitration hearing is now looming as the next real checkpoint. For Montreal, the hard part is balancing Dachs upside against what he has actually been able to deliver lately, and the comparable on Krebs suggests the club may not be inclined to budge much from its current line. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Still Feel The Sting Of One 2007 Draft Decision
The Canadiens 2007 draft class still stands as one of the franchises most consequential, and not just because of the names they kept. Montreal came out of that year with Max Pacioretty and P.K. Subban, but the decision that continues to linger is the one that sent Ryan McDonagh away before he ever played a game for the team. It was the kind of move that looked like a roster shuffle at the time and has only grown heavier with hindsight.
McDonagh went on to become a fixture in the NHL, later wearing the captains letter with the Rangers and helping Tampa Bay win two Stanley Cups, while the Canadiens return in the deal never delivered the same kind of stability. Scott Gomez arrived with plenty of pedigree, but his time in Montreal never matched the expectations attached to the trade, and the organization eventually moved on. For a franchise that got so much right in that draft year, this one still reads like the missed branch in the road. [Read more 🡒]