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Montreal Canadiens State Of the Rebuild – Grading NHL Trades

Originally posted on Montreal Hockey Now | By Marc Dumont | Last updated 5/10/24

Now that the Montreal Canadiens have completed their second complete rebuild season, it’s time to take a closer look at where the organization stands in terms of its long-term plans.

The ‘State Of The Rebuild’ series will evaluate several categories, including current NHL talent, prospect value, draft capital, trades, coaching, contracts, and management.

Today we will examine the important trades made by Kent Hughes since he took over as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens.

State Of The Montreal Canadiens Rebuild Series – Published

Montreal Canadiens Trades

Kent Hughes has made 27 since pulling off his first trade as general manager of the team, a minor deal that saw the Habs acquire Andrew Hammond in exchange for Brandon Baddock.

Two days later he made his first major move, sending forward Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Tyler Pitlick, Emil Heineman, a 2022- first-round pick (Filip Mesar), a 2023 fifth-round pick (Yevgeni Volohkin) and a conditional fourth-round pick (conditions not met).

While some have argued this was a poor return on Toffoli, we can look to the recent trade deadline move that sent Toffoli (50% retained) to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick and 2024 third-round pick. The trade from the Devils to the Jets was a little different, in that Toffoli is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this summer

Even though Toffoli has a history of scoring on whichever team he plays for, general managers don’t seem willing to pony up high-end assets to acquire him. However, when he was moved from the Habs to the Flames he still had term left on his very reasonable contract, which would suggest Hughes did not hit a home run in his first significant trade. On that note, the Habs still acquired two assets that could play a role in the team’s rebuild in Heineman and Mesar, while Volohkin was recently named the best goaltender in the MHL.

Individual Trade Grade: This is a ‘sum of the parts’ trade for the Canadiens, and those rarely work out. There’s still a chance Mesar can match the impact Toffoli made in the lineup, but the odds are against him given his current projection.

5/10 (with the potential to improve should Mesar thrive)

Hughes’ second significant trade was nearly perfect. Ben Chiarot (50% retained) was traded to the Florida Panthers for Ty Smilanic, a 2024 fourth-round pick (Cedrick Guindon), and a 2024 first-round pick (Mikhail Gulyayev).

Chiarot would go on to play 20 regular season and 10 playoff games for the Panthers before signing a long-term contract with the Detroit Red Wings the following summer.

Individual Trade Grade: It remains to be seen if the Habs will Guindon, whereas Smilanic was never expected to amount to much in terms of NHL value, but any time you can trade a defenceman who puts up some of the worst underlying numbers in the NHL for a first-round pick, you’ve done well. The Habs eventually traded the pick to the Avalanche in the Alex Newhook trade. More on that later.

9/10

The Canadiens then proceeded to move stalwart forward Artturi Lehkonen (50% retained) to the Colorado Avalanche for Justin Barron and a 2024 second-round pick (Col. No.58).

This may be Hughes’ worst trade during his short time as the Montreal Canadiens general manager. Lehkonen would go on to become a crucial part of one of the best lineups in the NHL. He didn’t just score the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Avalanche, he also filled important gaps in the lineup once injuries started to pile up.

It’s a good reminder that usage is incredibly important when analyzing players. Lehkonen was seen as a third-line player with the Canadiens because he was tasked with difficult defensive assignments and was not given an opportunity to play significant minutes on the powerplay, whereas the Avalanche saw him as a complete player with untapped offensive potential.

Lehkonen continues to play a crucial role for the Avalanche, a team considered one of the favourites to win the Stanley Cup this season.

The good news is that the book has not yet closed on Barron’s NHL potential. Even though he only played 48 games, Barron scored seven goals for the Canadiens this year, finishing four goals behind Mike Matheson, who did not miss a game this season. This means Barron spent half the season in Laval and still managed to outproduce every other right-handed defenceman in goals scored. His defensive acumen needs to improve, but he does bring a relatively important source of offence to the table for the Habs.

The second-round pick (2024) will also eventually influence our reaction to the trade.

Individual Trade Grade: Some will suggest Lehkonen could have never reached the same level had he stayed in Montreal, but the Canadiens sure could use a player of his ilk in the lineup as they attempt to take the next step in their rebuild. Barron has potential, but it’s unlikely he matches the positive impact made by Lehkonen.

2/10 (with the potential to improve should Barron become a regular NHL player)

The next trade was a home run combined with a hail-mary touchdown and a game-winning three-point bucket.

Brett Kulak (50% retained) was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for William Lagesson, a 2022 second-round pick, and a 2024 seventh-round pick.

The second-round pick ended up being none other than phenom Lane Hutson.

Individual Trade Grade: Edmonton is probably fine with this deal, even if they know they gave up an opportunity to draft Hutson. Kulak has done a great job stabilizing what is otherwise a questionable blueline for the Oilers.

The Canadiens are also thrilled with the deal, as it allowed them to put their hands on the most talented prospect to go through their system in the last 20 years or so.

This trade was the epitome of a win-win scenario, though given Hutson’s potential you could easily argue this is one of the most important trades made by the team since Hughes took over.

10/10

THERE IT IS! Welcome to the NHL, Lane Hutson.

First game, first point. #GoHabsGo have the 1-0 lead pic.twitter.com/jMUzLi16bq

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 15, 2024

The biggest trade to take place with Hughes at the helm involved a pair of deals that eventually landed Kirby Dach.

The Habs sent Alexander Romanov and a 2022 fourth-round pick (No.98 Isaiah Goerge) to the New York Islanders for a 2022 first-round pick (No.13). They added a 2022 third-round pick (No.66 Gavin Hayes) to the mix and moved the first-rounder to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Dach. The Blackhawks picked talented prospect Frank Nazar with the 13th overall pick in 2022.

First off, Romanov was a very entertaining player, but his underlying numbers were uglier than a poutine made with shredded cheese. Trading him for the 13th overall pick was a masterclass by Hughes.

Acquiring Dach was encouraging, as he represents one of the few players in the lineup who can improve his linemates while maintaining strong production and possession numbers. But as we noted in a previous edition of the State Of The Rebuild series, Dach’s injuries are certainly a cause for concern.

Dach has missed almost half of the 410 games in which he could have participated during his time in the NHL. He’s also missed almost 65 percent of the available games since joining the Canadiens.

His numbers during the few games in which he remained healthy have been excellent, mind you. The Habs can afford to be patient in his case. And yet, while Dach is a very talented player who could play a big role in the team’s future, his penchant for being involved in plays that lead to season-ending injuries significantly mitigates his overall value.

Individual Trade Grade: If Dach can stay healthy next season, the concern about his health will fall to the wayside, but for now it’s only fair to say his injury history is a red flag, especially considering how important he could be in the rebuild. Nazar has also emerged as a top prospect, putting a little more pressure on Dach to contribute on a nightly basis.

6.5/10 (with the potential to improve if Dach can stay healthy).

Tune in tomorrow when we examine the high-profile trades made by the Canadiens this season, not to mention the conclusion and final grade for all the trades made by Kent Hughes and Co.

Do you agree or disagree with the grades given to the trades in this article? If so, let us know what you think in the comments!

This article first appeared on Montreal Hockey Now and was syndicated with permission.

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