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In Hainsight: Exit Hoffman but Another Piece (or Two) to Move |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
Even in the dead of summer, NHL GMs are hard at work and Kent Hughes finally managed to get rid of Mike Hoffman in a three-way deal involving the Sharks and the Penguins. Montreal sent Hoffman and Pitlick to Pittsburgh in exchange for the Pens’ 2025 second round pick, goaltender Casey De Smith, forward Nathan Legare (a 22-year-old Montreal native) and Jeff Petry. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh sends Mike Hoffman, defenseman Jan Rutta, forward Mikael Granlund and its 2024 first-round pick to San Jose for star defenseman Erik Karlsson, forward Dillon Hamaliuk and San Jose’s 2026 third draft pick.
The best part of this trade is that the Penguins are retaining part of Jeff Petry’s salary and that they’ve already paid his 3 million bonus for the year. Considering how badly he and his wife wanted out of Montreal when Hughes traded him to Pittsburgh a year ago, chances are, Hughes is planning to flip him elsewhere. Even if the Canadiens have to retain some of his salary, a Petry at a lower price is certainly easier to move than a Mike Hoffman.
Casey DeSmith was the Penguins’ back-up goaltender and he brings some depth at the position for the Canadiens. If say Cayden Primeau is claimed off waivers, they still have another goaltender with NHL experience aside from their two regular goalies. If Primeau somehow manages to wrestle a roster spot away from Allen, then it makes it easier to trade the veteran knowing there’s another goalie with NHL experience in the system.
As for Nathan Legare, he’s yet to play a single game in the NHL and he’ll likely be headed to Laval. Bottom line, this trade frees up some roster spots up front for the Canadiens’ young players by sending Hoffman and Pitlick packing and it gives Kent Hughes a trading chip which should be easier to move than Mike Hoffman. Should Hughes be unable to trade Petry before the start of the season and the veteran has to play with the Habs, his presence won’t make the Canadiens blue line any worse.
We’ll have to wait a bit longer to know how good this trade really is, but so far, I’m liking it as the lack of roster spots for young forwards was a concern for me. I’m looking forward to seeing if Hughes will be able to manage to trade Jeff Petry soon, that gives us something else to lookout for as each day brings us one step closer to the regular season.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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