The Canadiens are playing the long game with Josh Anderson, the Maple Leafs are staring at a blue-line hole, and Edmonton has stumbled onto a rookie who is already forcing his way into the conversation.
Anderson has jumped out to a strong start, scoring his third and fourth goals of the season against Washington, but Montreal is not rushing into a new deal. Darren Dreger reports the Canadiens would like to extend him, yet the plan is to wait.
Anderson’s agent prefers taking clients to free agency, while Anderson himself reportedly wants to stay. Before the season, Kent Hughes told him the club was focused on trades and would get back to him later.
That pause does not automatically point to a trade. It looks more like Montreal is keeping its books flexible while it sees how its bigger moves develop.
Hughes may not want to commit money or term to a 32-year-old until he knows whether a larger swing, such as Larkin, actually lands. Anderson could still end up in a deal if one comes together, but the read here is less about moving him out and more about preserving cap room.
In Toronto, Chris Tanev’s week-to-week injury has sparked a possible low-cost fix. Heavy.com floated the idea of bringing back Ilya Lyubushkin from Nashville in exchange for Miles Wood.
Lyubushkin has not played for the Predators this season, but he fits the profile of a stay-at-home defenseman who could soak up third-pair minutes. He is also in the final year of his contract, which keeps the risk down, and if it does not work, the Maple Leafs could simply waive him.
Nashville would get something useful out of the swap too. Wood brings size and speed to the bottom six, and the Predators would not be giving up a current lineup piece. It would not be a one-for-one answer to losing Tanev, but Toronto’s offense is potent enough that a steady depth defender may be enough to get by.
Out in Edmonton, Owen Michaels has been one of the early surprises of the season. Signed after three productive years at Western Michigan, the rookie was expected to be organizational depth.
Instead, he has appeared in all six games, scored two goals, and earned Babcock’s trust. He has taken important faceoffs and helped kill off a 6-on-4 and a 6-on-3 against San Jose.
His usage keeps growing too. Michaels logged a career-high 16:50 against the Kings, and Edmonton now has a right-shot center who can win draws and contribute on the penalty kill.
Still, the underlying numbers suggest caution. His expected goals share sits at 33.8 percent, and his PDO is running well above normal, which means the results may not hold.
Babcock said Michaels has been used against tough competition and that the game does not match the shot clock. He has also started just 21.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. If the lineup gets healthier and he slides into a more sheltered fourth-line role, he could end up being another Bowman find.
In Other News...
Oilers Linked To A Top-Six Target They May Struggle To Land
Kirill Marchenko gave the Maple Leafs one of their brightest individual nights in recent memory, scoring his first hat trick with the club and capping it with a between-the-legs goal that had the building buzzing. Even with that kind of production, Toronto still watched the game slip away in overtime after squandering a lead, a reminder that one explosive performance can still end up feeling hollow when the result goes the wrong way.
The loss also came with a more worrying subplot for Toronto, as John Tavares left in the third period after an awkward collision with Josh Norris. Jim Hiller had no update afterward, leaving the Leafs to wait on the status of one of their most important veterans while the rest of the league keeps churning through its own trade and roster chatter. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Forward Depth Suddenly Has A New Jason Dickinson Problem
Chris Tanevs absence has already put a small dent in the Maple Leafs blue line, and the timing is hardly ideal. The veteran defender was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 10 after leaving the win over Colorado with an upper-body injury from a collision with Artturi Lehkonen, a reminder that Torontos early-season depth is being tested before the schedule even settles in.
John Tavares has only added to the uncertainty up front. He is being treated as day-to-day after heading down the tunnel following an awkward collision, and the coach had no firm update on his status. For a Leafs team trying to build rhythm, the concern is less about any one missed game than the way a few nagging injury questions can start to stack up all at once. [Read more 🡒]
Morgan Rielly Is Forcing A Leafs Decision They Wanted To Avoid
Morgan Riellys season has put the Maple Leafs in an uncomfortable spot they hoped to avoid. The veteran defenseman has not been the driving force Toronto needs from the back end, and his play over the past two years has only sharpened the questions around how much value he still provides in a top role. With other defensemen on the roster offering a mix of steadier minutes and more specific contributions, the contrast has made Riellys struggles harder to ignore.
Toronto does not sound ready to make a dramatic move, but the discussion around Rielly is clearly shifting from concern to decision-making. The Leafs would like a version of him that looks closer to the player they expected, yet the path to getting there may involve uncomfortable lineup adjustments or, eventually, a bigger reset. For a team that has leaned on him for so long, even the possibility of a reduced role says plenty about where things stand. [Read more 🡒]