The busiest time of the year in the hockey world has arrived, the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline. Halfway through, it appears that the Montreal Canadiens are in a bit of a pickle as they are coming off of a historically bad first half of the season under former coach Dominique Ducharme. This start is not even a full year after a Stanley cup finals appearance against the Tampa Bay Lightning. As a result, we could be looking at some Montreal Canadiens trades this deadline.
Although they have done well under interim head coach Martin St. Louis, they are still one of the teams in contention for the first overall pick due to this poor start. So much so, that fans have dubbed this season as the “Pain for Shane”. This is in homage to Kingston Frontenacs forward Shane Wright. Although, the Canadiens are going to be shedding some talent in order to help with the rebuild. So far, they have traded Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames which has sparked lots of calls to the Montreal front office about other players on the trade block.
Ben Chiarot
A potential Montreal Canadiens trade is Ben Chiarot. Arguably the most talked about player on the Canadiens trade block is Ben Chiarot. He has had the rumours swirling about him being dealt from the Canadiens for a couple of years now. Chiarot is a 30-year-old unrestricted free agent this summer who just came off of a 3 year $3.5 million a year contract. Canadiens’ General Manager Kent Hughes stated that he has received “lots of calls” about the defenceman. he is apparently linked to the St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, and the New York Rangers.
A likely trade scenario for Ben Chiarot would fetch a first-round pick and a highly valued prospect. However, he could fetch some pretty notable names. An example of this is Florida Panthers forward Owen Tippett. It’s also likely that the Bruins will also want to include either defenseman Derek Forbort, or forward Jake DeBrusk, as he has wanted out of Boston for more than a year.
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Jeff Petry
Although he has been positive about Martin St. Louis‘ tenure in Montreal, Jeff Petry has expressed that he still wants a trade from the Canadiens. He also has had one of his worst seasons with 13 points in 49 games. This comes with many fans dubbing Petry as the “Tank Commander” despite him being one of the key pieces in the 2021 Stanley cup run. Petry has been linked to several teams through rumours. This includes the Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, and the Minnesota Wild among others. Petry’s trade value rose significantly after St. Louis took over as head coach, and Kent Hughes stated that he is willing to move the 34-year-old defenceman if he finds the right trade. He said that he can afford to wait until the off-season to trade him. However, it is possible that he gets moved at the deadline.
Petry has been one of the better acquisitions from the Marc Bergevin era, as he was picked up for not that much value from the Edmonton Oilers. He has been a staple on the Canadiens blue line, although his time in Montreal is all but over. He can fetch some pretty good value for the Canadiens because of his recent performance. The pieces from that trade can further help out a Canadiens rebuild that is long overdue.
An example of this value would most likely be Jeff Petry to the Detroit Red Wings for a package that includes a draft pick and either Jordan Oesterle or Fillip Zadina, as the Red Wings are looking to move on from him. Petry could also be sent to Colorado for a package with defenceman Erik Johnson. However, it depends on if Johnson waives his no-movement clause.
Artturi Lehkonen
Although this may be surprising, the trade rumours have been swirling for Artturi Lehkonen as the trade deadline approaches closer and closer. The 26-year-old has spent his entire North American hockey career with the Canadiens. Lehkonen has been a solid 20 point scorer throughout the majority of his tenure with the Canadiens. He is starting to attract more and more attention, and his trade value is starting to rise as a young player and a solid depth piece for a contender.
Teams like the New York Rangers have shown interest in the 26 year old Finnish forward. Lehkonen is on pace for his career-high in points, with 25 points through 53 games. He could suit a contending team well. Lehkonen is a defensively-minded winger with an easy cap hit to take on for the playoffs, and maybe further beyond. The Rangers won’t want to give up a lot. However, Gorton could get a lot of value out of it due to his tenure with the organization.
These are three Montreal Canadiens trades to look out for this deadline.
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