The Montreal Canadiens left the trade deadline with the same roster they had when they finished their game against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. With the Habs in the mix to make the playoffs, was standing pat the right move for the Canadiens this season?
Not acquiring a 2nd line centre leaves a clear hole as neither Alex Newhook nor Owen Beck (who was sent back to Laval on Monday morning) can be the full-time 2nd line centre. Then there is Kirby Dach, who is out for the season with another knee injury is a guy that the
However, the market was a sellers’ market, and Kent Hughes likely wasn’t willing to part with the assets being asked for by players like Trevor Zegras, Dylan Cozens, Jared McCann, etc.
On Chris Nilan’s Real Talk Sunday morning podcast, Tony Marinaro mentioned that Kent Hughes’ goal was likely to find out who would be available in the summer to help his team. This would make sense, as the Habs aren’t a serious contender and don’t need to overpay for a playoff push. With that being said, the Canadiens could have sold pieces like Joel Armia or David Savard, but on the flip side, with the team in the mix just 3 points back of a playoff spot, it is rewarding to the players to keep them together, after having taken a big step this season.
Nilan also mentioned that keeping the same guys together can benefit the team. He talked about how often, when a guy leaves a team via trade or a new guy comes in, the chemistry can be shaken up, causing the team to struggle even more. Therefore, it may be best for the team to stand pat overall.
Defenseman Alex Carrier has been a great fit with the Canadiens since arriving from Nashville. Photo Credits: Brian Bradshaw Sevald Imagn Images
This team has won and gone to battle all season together, with the only real addition being in mid-December when Kent Hughes traded Justin Barron for Alexandre Carrier. This trade turned out to be the best move possible for the team, as it helped kick start a month in which the Canadiens were the hottest team in the NHL after a slow start to the season. The Habs have been incredibly streaky this season, but this team has shown they can compete with anyone.
Even if the Canadiens have started their Western Canada road trip 0-1-1, they have played well in both games except the 1st period on Saturday vs. the Calgary Flames. Unfortunately, the Habs were never able to solve rookie netminder Dustin Wolf. On Tuesday, we should expect the Habs to come out strong against the Vancouver Canucks, as they are hungry to stay in the playoff race.
Habs Captain Nick Suzuki has taken his game up a notch since returning from the 4 Nations Faceoff break. Photo Credits: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Making the playoffs seems unlikely, but they could sneak into the playoffs with the right combination of injury, luck, and good play. So Hughes and his management team decided to leave the team as is to give them still a shot at making the playoffs.
Additionally, just after the break, captain Nick Suzuki pleaded with Kent Hughes not to get rid of any pending UFAs at the deadline, and he told him “to show him that this team can stay in the mix.” Hughes confirmed this in his post-trade deadline press conference. Following this discussion with the GM, Suzuki scored an astonishing 13 points in 5 games, leading the Habs to rattle off five straight wins coming out of the break. This put the Canadiens back into the mix, competing for a playoff spot yet again.
With all that being said, Kent Hughes likely made the right decision, as playoffs are on the slim side, but this team is showing fight and wanting to compete as a unit. Besides, in this year’s upcoming draft, the quality is slimmer than in other years, which is why 2nd rounders got moved on Friday like it was Halloween candy. In the end, the Canadiens made the right decision to not overpay for a slim chance at playoffs but also not give away assets so they could stay competitive.
