Top Three Montreal Canadiens Players Likely To Be Traded First

Hockey Insider Chris Johnston released his first edition of the ‘NHL Trade Board‘, and it features three members of the Montreal Canadiens.

Now that teams have reached the quarter mark of the season, Johnston opines that teams have a much better idea of what type of players they should add to their roster if they hope to compete this fall.

There are 25 players listed, including four Calgary Flames players among the first four NHLers mentioned: Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov.

As for the Habs, as expected, two goaltenders lead the charge when it comes to possible interest around the league.

Montreal Canadiens Trade Chips

Johnston has Jake Allen listed seventh, suggesting that he’s the goaltender with the most established track record of all three goaltenders that are currently on the roster.

Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has been looking to move a goaltender since the start of the season, and though teams like the Edmonton Oilers have shown some interest, they’re yet to move forward with a legitimate trade offer.

Allen’s no-trade list allows him to list seven teams, which may prevent a deal from materializing.

Samuel Montembeault is eighth on the list, thanks to his very reasonable contract which only pays him $1 million this season. The Habs are still interested in signing Montembeault to a new contract, but the two sides have yet to come to an agreement on a possible extension.

Veteran Sean Monahan is the final Canadiens player listed among the top 25.

Teams showed interest in Monahan last season before the team had to shut him down due to the endless stream of injuries that ravaged the lineup.

His offence has dried up in recent games, but Monahan still presents a good option for many teams looking to add depth. He can play anywhere in the lineup, is great in transition, and is great at faceoffs.

Considering he’s earning less than $2 million this season, the list of suitors should grow as the trade deadline approaches.