Trade deadline primer for the Montreal Canadiens

An early season-ending injury to top-six forward Kirby Dach derailed the Montreal Canadiens season nearly as soon as it started. The mantra has followed Montreal, who have also faced significant injury to Christian Dvorak and Rafael Harvey-Pinard. That’s left the team without much bite this season, destined to spend the year focused on developing young talents rather than pushing for the playoffs. But Montreal is prepared for this, boasting one of the youngest lineups in the league and providing ample opportunity to AHL standouts. This includes calling up top prospect Joshua Roy for the first 10 games of his career, signing Brandon Gignac to an extension after AHL success, and rotating a trio of goalies to find their future fit. Montreal is still finding ways to improve in a season of failures on the scoresheet, and the Trade Deadline could be their chance to really lean into prioritizing the future.

Record

22-25-8, 7th in the Atlantic Division.

Deadline Status

Sellers

Deadline Cap Space

$5.654M on deadline day, 2/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: MTL 1st, WPG 1st, COL 2nd, MTL 3rd, MIN 3rd, MTL 4th, MTL 5th, SJS 5th, MTL 6th, MTL 7th, EDM 7th, WSH 7th
2025: MTL 1st, CGY 1st, MTL 2nd, PIT 2nd, MTL 3rd, VAN 3rd, MTL 4th, DET 4th, MTL 5th, MTL 6th, MTL 7th

Trade Chips

Montreal’s trade chips begin with their goaltenders. General manager Kent Hughes recently shared that the team must move out one goaltender, leaving fans to speculate on the likeliest to go. Sam Montembeault seems to have the safest spot, largely thanks to the three-year, $9.45M contract extension he signed on Dec. 1. He’s since become Montreal’s de facto starter, setting 12 wins and a .903 save percentage through 26 games. Montembeault is primarily backed up by veteran Jake Allen, who’s set a .894 save percentage in 19 games. Allen likely offers the best trade market value, largely thanks to the experience he’s gathered over 11 years and 414 games in the NHL. Allen also brings championship prowess, winning the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. But if teams are dissuaded by the 33-year-old Allen’s $3.85M cap hit next season, they could also find depth in 24-year-old Cayden Primeau. Primeau — the youngest of any Canadiens goalie — has yet to come into his own in the NHL, totaling 33 games since making his NHL debut in 2019 but managing just eight wins and a .884 save percentage. He does seem to be on a good pace this year, though, with a .903 save percentage in 12 games of his own. Primeau is signed to a sub-$1M deal through the end of the 2024-25 season, offering a lot of potential to teams looking for a potential difference-maker.

The Canadiens could also bank on veteran talents, finally finding a trade partner for Josh Anderson or moving away from hometown pro David Savard. Both players have been part of trade rumors for a while, though Anderson would fetch much more of a return than Savard. The 29-year-old winger has just 15 points in 51 games this season, setting 51 penalty minutes and a -21. It’s a far cry from the 27 goals and 47 points he managed in 82 games in 2018-19. Anderson hasn’t scored more than 32 points in a season since joining Montreal in 2020 but could still offer top-six value thanks to his sturdy frame and drive towards the net. Any trade of Anderson would almost certainly require Montreal to retain his salary, using their last salary retention slot. But, with Anderson signed through his age-32 season in 2026-27, any return would benefit the youthful Canadiens lineup.

Team needs

1) Go window shopping: Montreal has the luxury of being able to explore all options at the trade deadline. The team cannot win now, but they have all the draft picks, prospect capital, and role players a seller could ask for. This could give the Canadiens a lucrative opportunity to go after big names like Pavel Buchnevich or Jakob Chychrun. Both players are under 30 and on generally cheap contracts. While the remainder of their 2023-24 season might end up a bit fruitless, adding a big-market name could be enough to propel the Canadiens into success sooner than they planned. The NHL is currently witnessing the ascension of the Philadelphia Flyers, who sit comfortably in a playoff spot after the All-Star Break. Montreal could mimic that success next season with a healthy lineup and high-profile additions. The Canadiens likely wouldn’t have to sacrifice much for the additions, boasting seven picks in the first or second round of the next two drafts. Their wallet is plenty big enough and they shouldn’t be frugal if that means they can bring in a point-per-game veteran forward or an ever-rising young defenseman.

2) Buy up the youth: Montreal is, first and foremost, a seller this year thanks to their insistence on a goalie trade and long list of veteran talents. But that position could open them up to sneaky deadline deals. Plenty of high-profile young talent is on the open market, including Trevor Zegras, Arthur Kaliyev, Kaapo Kakko, and Philip Broberg. While each of these players carries with them varying degrees of certainty, they would all make stellar additions to a Montreal lineup that’s already full of young talent. It’s also easy to see the fit many of them would have with skillful head coach Martin St. Louis. Edmonton’s desperate need for goaltending depth, or New York’s desire for forward depth, could be enough for them to take lesser value in favor of solidifying their lineups now. Montreal could be in the perfect spot to exploit those positions and add major value to their future outlook.