Suzuki Expects Quiet Deadline For Habs This Year

Basu spoke to Suzuki ahead of the deadline to get his opinion because the Habs captain usually is involved with how things are being run around the team, as evidenced by last season. Unlike last year, the Habs are in a position around the league where they should be seen as buyers. However, the captain doesn’t see the Canadiens being big buyers this year. The main reason is that the Canadiens don’t have a lot of cap room to make moves, but also he feels that the team has great chemistry, which a new arrival may mess with.

According to Suzuki, he feels that the Canadiens made their big trade acquisition earlier this season with the return of Phillip Danault. It may not be the most flashy pickup, but Danault provides the Canadiens with a much-needed veteran presence while being someone that takes the defensive centre that has shored up the penalty kill. Danault has also helped Brendan Gallagher start playing much better than he did before they were placed on a line together.

Aside from the likely move of Patrik Laine’s contract off the books before the deadline, the Habs may not make any of the moves we could be hearing from insiders. Although, once Laine’s contract is traded, it will allow for other moves to be made. Without moving Laine, there isn’t really a possibility of being able to add anyone to the current roster. On top of it, the Habs also have an abundance of NHL talent on their roster that could be hard to move for chemistry reasons.

With how good the Habs players have been clicking as of late, it could be creating the vibe that everyone should be safe outside of Laine for the trade deadline. Plus, the fact that the Canadiens still have a few pieces of the core to arrive in their system, like Jacob Fowler, Michael Hage, and potentially Alexander Zharovsky, for example, means they likely won’t pay much unless they get a player that can fit with the team beyond this season. This will surely limit trade options for the Canadiens throughout the week.

Although one area that could come cheap is a veteran defenseman that can serve as a mentor to the younger defenseman as well as be someone with a lot of playoff experience. A potential option with that profile could be Luke Schenn, who has been playing for the struggling Winnipeg Jets team this year. Since David Savard retired, the Habs have lacked the defensive, stay-at-home veteran presence that can be a penalty kill specialist, which is exactly what the 36-year-old Schenn can do. Schenn is making $2.75 million until the end of the season, which is very affordable for a cap-strapped team like the Habs. It also doesn’t hurt that he played for the Tampa Bay Lightning during their two Stanley Cup-winning seasons in 2020 and 2021. To acquire him, the Habs may only need to trade a mid-round pick, which is likely something the Habs management wouldn’t be against doing at this point in the rebuild either.

With that being said, it may not be as flashy of a trade deadline as many will expect, but we shouldn’t expect the Habs to overpay and have regrets about making a deal.

Besides a Patrik Laine deal, do you see any other moves the Habs will be making?