Kent Hughes has been busy all offseason, but the Canadiens are still staring at the same two glaring needs.
Nine trades later, Martin St-Louis still hasn’t gotten the kind of immediate help that changes the look of the lineup for September. That’s the part that stands out most when you step back and take in the full picture: plenty of activity, not much payoff for the NHL roster.
Some of the moves were more about reshuffling than upgrading. Brendan Gallagher was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks with 50% of his salary retained, and the Canadiens got absolutely nothing back.
Joshua Roy was moved to Utah, with Montreal receiving a defenseman who is expected to open the season with the Laval Rocket. Luke Tuch went to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Hunter McKown, another player who also appears headed for Laval to start the year.
William Trudeau and Brett Berard were effectively exchanged for one another.
Then came the draft, where Hughes made five more trades to move up or down the board. Again, those deals were about draft positioning, not about helping the Canadiens next season.
That’s why the reaction has been so muted around all the movement. There’s been a lot of transaction traffic, but the roster that will skate in September still looks short in the same places. The Canadiens continue to need a right-shot defenseman and a second-line center, and neither hole has been filled through this offseason’s flurry of trades.
It’s hard to look at that and not see some frustration on the Montreal side. At the very least, Kent Hughes appears to be feeling it too after being unable to land a meaningful move.
In Other News...
Canadiens Face A Real Xhekaj Decision In New Trade Proposal
Arber Xhekaj keeps lingering in the center of Montreals offseason conversation, and the latest trade idea only adds another layer to it. Calgarys interest in the young Canadiens defenseman has been floating around for months, and the discussion has resurfaced again as Montreal continues sorting out its blue line and weighing what kind of move would actually make sense for the roster it wants to build.
The appeal from the Canadiens side is straightforward enough: they have been looking for a right-handed defenseman who can handle meaningful minutes, and the proposal being kicked around would address that need while forcing Montreal to decide how much value it is willing to attach to Xhekaj. Depending on how the deal is structured, the price could climb beyond a simple one-for-one swap, which is exactly why this has become one of those talks worth watching rather than dismissing. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Real Shot At The Young Center They Need
The Canadiens have spent plenty of time looking for another young center to grow with their core, and Adam Fantilli is suddenly part of that conversation because of what is happening in Columbus. The Blue Jackets are believed to be getting close to the salary cap faster than expected, which has put a little more intrigue around a player who already looks like one of the leagues brighter young pivots.
Fantilli, 21, turned in a strong season with 59 points in 82 games, enough to make him the kind of center any team would at least have to think about. Montreal has not been confirmed as a club preparing an offer sheet, but the possibility alone is enough to keep the idea alive, especially if Columbus finds itself in a spot where matching becomes difficult. [Read more 🡒]
NHL Expansion Buzz Just Put The Nordiques Dream In Jeopardy
The NHL expansion conversation has started to sharpen, and for Canadiens fans with one eye on the old Nordiques rivalry, the latest chatter is not exactly encouraging. Doug McLean and other hockey voices have been pointing toward Houston as the next city in line for an expansion franchise, with Austin also being mentioned in the mix before quickly fading from view.
For Montreal followers, the significance goes beyond another market on the league map. If Houston is indeed the destination, it would make the long-discussed idea of the Nordiques coming back look even more remote, even if the NHL has not made anything official yet. For now, it is still just buzz, but it is the kind of buzz that can change how people talk about hockey in Quebec. [Read more 🡒]