The Canadiens may have been thinking bigger than a straight one-player move when Rickard Rakell entered the picture.
According to Elliotte Friedman, Montreal explored a three-team idea that would have sent Rakell from Pittsburgh into a larger trade package for Kirill Marchenko in Columbus. The report traces back to trusted sources, and it paints Kent Hughes as someone still working the edges of the market in inventive ways.
Rakell remains a name worth watching even though that original concept apparently went nowhere. The question now is whether Montreal could circle back and try to land him in a simpler deal, this time with Rakell staying put in Quebec.
The Penguins forward carries a $5 million cap hit and, at 33, has gotten off to a rough start. He has gone scoreless in nine games this season, with only two assists and a minus-5 rating on a Pittsburgh team that has dropped three straight and sits at 3-5-1.
On paper, that kind of production would normally cool interest. But a player like Rakell could still be appealing to Montreal if the Canadiens are looking for a boost on the second line. And with his age and slow opening stretch, the price tag might not be massive.
That said, the report hints that Rakell’s value in the bigger Marchenko framework may have been tied more to fit and maneuvering than to his current numbers.
Montreal’s roster situation matters here too. The Canadiens already have several healthy forwards, so any move for Rakell would force a decision: does he join the lineup, or does someone else come out?
Friedman summed up the talk this way: "I had some people tell me that they thought that when Montreal was trying to add to a Marchenko deal in Columbus, they think that Rakell was one of the guys they were seeing if they could deliver to the Blue Jackets. "
It’s another reminder that Hughes has no problem chasing complicated trade structures. The only real question now is whether a more direct path to Rakell makes sense.
In Other News...
Dylan Larkin To Montreal May Hinge On More Than Hockey
Speculation around Dylan Larkin and the Canadiens has been simmering for a while, but the conversation around a possible move to Montreal clearly stretches beyond the usual hockey fit. The Detroit captain is under contract through 2031 and has opened this season with three points in six games, so any talk of him changing teams is already difficult enough to sort through on the ice alone.
What makes the Montreal angle more complicated is the personal side, which has a way of mattering in major trade chatter even when no one says it out loud. Larkin married Kenzy Wolfe in August 2023, and his comfort level off the ice is part of the backdrop here, along with the reality that there are still no confirmed details linking him to a move. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens May Have Found A Late-Round Surprise In Laval
A seventh-round pick usually arrives with modest expectations, but Luke Mittelstadt is forcing the Canadiens to take a longer look. The 2023 selection, once viewed more as a steady defensive piece after a quiet NCAA scoring profile, has found an early groove in Laval and has become one of the biggest reasons the Rocket have opened the season so well.
Mittelstadts usage tells part of the story, with the 24-year-old handling a larger offensive load than anyone would have predicted when he was drafted. He has settled onto Lavals top defensive pairing and power play, and the production has followed, enough to spark real conversation about whether the Canadiens may have found more than organizational depth in a player who was supposed to be a long shot. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Back In A Trade Talk Tied To Marchenko Void
The Penguins may be edging toward another reshuffle of their forward group, and Rickard Rakell is again a name to watch as the club weighs veteran trade possibilities in favor of younger players. Rakell was already part of earlier discussions with Columbus that never got across the finish line, and his slow start this season has only made the conversation more complicated from Pittsburghs side.
For teams watching from the outside, the appeal is obvious enough: a proven scorer who could still help if the right deal materializes. But there are also real hurdles in the background, including a no-trade clause that gives him some control over where this story can go next, which means any renewed movement will depend on more than just Pittsburghs desire to open a spot. [Read more 🡒]