How the Habs Won and Lost the Cammalleri Trade

On the surface; the Mike Cammalleri-Rene Bourque swap is a push. Both players were struggling on their respective teams this year and will likely be better off with a fresh start elsewhere. Cammalleri is a more skilled and dynamic player than Bourque, but over the past few years, their production is virtually the same in terms of goals. The difference between the two is how they score their goals. Cammalleri’s goals are often “skill” goals from the perimeter, whereas Bourque’s are not as pretty. Both are also known for stretches of invisibility, as was seen this year from the two of them. I can go and on, but essentially, this trade could be equally beneficial to both teams in the short term. The fact that Montreal gets a 2nd round pick and a prospect (Patrick Holland) is a bonus; and they save approximately $2.7M against the cap. On that level, they did win the trade. Having said that, I feel they lost this trade because the return that they got doesn’t properly address what they n...