The Canadiens’ search for a right-shot defenseman with size and bite has not gone away, and one familiar name has quietly worked its way back into the conversation: Brandon Carlo.
Montreal has spent the summer in the same spot it has been all along, still looking for a defender who shoots right, plays with physicality, and holds up well in his own end. A handful of names have floated around in rumors, including Rasmus Ristolainen, Colton Parayko, Zach Whitecloud, and others. But according to several of Maxime Truman’s sources, Carlo was also discussed inside the Canadiens’ front office.
The most notable wrinkle is that Carlo’s name came up while the Maple Leafs and Canadiens were talking about Matthew Knies. Multiple sources said Carlo was part of those trade conversations as well.
“When the Maple Leafs and the Canadiens were talking about Matthew Knies, they were also discussing Brandon Carlo, according to several trustworthy sources.
But once the deadline passed and Carlo was still in Toronto, that plan pretty much stopped existing.”
- Maxime Truman
Once the deadline came and went with Carlo still in Toronto, the idea lost its momentum, much like the Knies situation.
Still, the fit is obvious on paper. Carlo is 6-foot-5, 29 years old, shoots right, and brings the kind of heavy, defense-first game Montreal has been seeking.
For Kent Hughes, there’s still time to act, with the start of the season approaching. And while this is all in the rearview mirror now, the reporting makes clear the Canadiens’ interest in Carlo had real weight behind it.
Kent Hughes and the Maple Leafs did, in fact, talk about a possible deal involving Carlo.
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Canadiens Suddenly Loom In A Young Star Contract Squeeze
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Cutter Gauthier and Adam Fantilli are among the players whose next contracts are expected to be shaped by Bedards number, and that creates a potential squeeze for teams trying to keep their young talent in line. For Montreal, the intrigue is less about what has happened than what might follow, since no offer sheets or trades have surfaced yet, but the combination of cap room and an unsettled market keeps the Canadiens in the conversation. [Read more 🡒]