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Habs lack of depth will make it hard for Bergevin to acquire help via trade |
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Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin has maintained over and over again how hard it is to make a trade in the NHL. How it is incredibly difficult to obtain a top two center via trade. That the best way is to draft and develop from within because the trades are just not there to make. The media has already had a field day with this using examples of the Ryan O'Reilly and Jason Spezza trades as proof that it is possible to acquire top centers via trade without sacrificing the future. Perhaps the bigger problem is that the Canadiens do not have enough assets to trade, that teams are simply not interested in what the Canadiens have to offer. As well, the NHL players that the team is likely dangling on the trade market are not the ones that are necessarily being coveted.
Bergevin is already receiving enough heat for the P.K. Subban/Shea Weber trade, especially with Subban and the Predators making the Stanley Cup Final in year one post “The Trade”. The fanbase likely could not handle another blockbuster deal with its best asset, Carey Price leaving town as others have suggested...
Since Bergevin was hired in the Spring of 2012, Just four players that were drafted by the Canadiens have graduated to playing full-time in the NHL:
2012 3rd overall pick Alex Galchenyuk
2013 25th overall pick Michael McCarron
2013 55th overall pick Artturi Lehkonen
2013 86th overall pick Sven Andrighetto
Galchenyuk is still the leading point getter from his draft class but Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators has a higher point per game average at .72 compared to .6. Galchenyuk has bounced between left wing and center countless times and the debate has gone from is he a number one center to is he a center at all? While generally consistently productive, his overall development has been a failure by the Canadiens as five full NHL season should certainly have been enough time for him to prove which position he should play. And the debate will still rage on into next season and likely the season after that.
Michael McCarron seemed to have finally made the permanent move to the NHL by this season’s end but he was in and out of the lineup, part of head coach Claude Julien’s fourth line rotation. At most he projects to be a third line center.
Artturi Lehkonen was the pleasant surprise of the season who stepped up when it mattered most in the playoffs. His development is in thanks to his time in Finland’s SM-Liiga and with Frolunda of the SHL. He came to Montreal ready to contribute.
Sven Andrighetto bounced back and forth between the AHL and NHL for four full seasons, never quite able to stay up with the Canadiens. He was too good for the AHL and was not put in a position to succeed often enough when with the Canadiens. Once traded to Colorado at the deadline, he came alive playing on the Avalanche’s top lines and contributed 16 points in 19 games.
Currently, the Canadiens best assets are at defense and goaltending. Mikhail Sergachev is the closest to a blue chip prospect that the Canadiens have. If the team is seriously considering trading him, it must be for a proven top line forward. Not a Matt Duchene. While Duchene is certainly an excellent player, he is a consistent number two. He would essentially replace what was a younger Tomas Plekanec. Also on the backend, the Canadiens have 2015 1st round draft pick Noah Juulsen, 2015 6th round draft pick Simon Bourque and 2016 4th round draft pick Victor Mete who have all enjoyed a high level of success playing junior hockey. Whether or not that will translate in the NHL is another question but they certainly all have potential, especially Juulsen who is a very solid defender. With an aging blueline, the Canadiens are seemingly in a decent position to replace them from within..
Goal is another strength for the Canadiens. 2016 Free agent signing Charles Lindgren out of St. Cloud State University headlines the group as he was outstanding for the St. John’s Ice Caps this past season, leading them to their first playoff berth in five seasons under Sylvain Lefebvre. Michael McNiven, another 2016 free agent signing was recently named the OHL’s best goaltender and to their 1st team all-star. Hayden Hawkeye, the Canadiens 6th round draft pick in 2014 led Providence College to the Frozen Four in his first year as the team’s starter. Even the often forgotten Zach Fucale, the Canadiens 36th overall choice from 2013 has seemingly rediscovered his game and confidence as he led the ECHL Brampton Beast to the second round of the playoffs.
It is at forward and specifically offensive talent that the Canadiens are lacking in depth. 2014 first round pick Nikita Scherbak has shown flashes of his potential but is inconsistent with his effort, especially in the defensive zone. 2012 fifth round draft pick Charles Hudon has done everything that has been asked of him but has still not been given a fair chance by the Canadiens to play in the NHL. The Canadiens need offense and with four assists in just six NHL games and limited minutes at that, it seems obvious that the team might just have someone in their system who can help them immediately.
After those two players, the pickings get slim from those drafted by the Canadiens. Perhaps Martin Reway might have been able to make the jump had he not unfortunately fallen ill before training camp. Jacob De La Rose regressed after a strong rookie campaign but finished this year strong. At most he is a bottom six player. Jake Evans has been a pleasant surprise for the Canadiens with 92 points in 118 games for Notre Dame in the NCAA. It seems that for now he will head back to school for his senior year but it is possible that he could still be signed in the Summer time. Originally a right winger, he was converted to center after his freshman year and might just be the Canadiens best prospect down the middle. 2015 7th round draft Jeremiah Addison is continuing his strong season at the Memorial Cup with the Windsor Spitfires but at most he figures to be a bottom six player. 2016 3rd round draft pick Will Bitten had solid season with the Hamilton Bulldogs after refusing to report back to the Flint Firebirds in the OHL. He may not have always made the scoreboard but his play and effort were always there.
The Canadiens need to target teams that need help and/or depth on defense and goaltending in order to acquire top six help. The unrestricted free agent market is especially lean this off-season as of those south of 30 years old, only Sam Gagner reached 50 points this season. The next closest was Nick Bonino with 37 points. Of course the Canadiens need to find a way to resign Alexander Radulov (30 years old) after the Expansion Draft. Otherwise the team’s top six will look especially weak.
If the Canadiens are to immediately improve their top six, the only way will be via trade. Bergevin will not extend an offer sheet to a restricted free agent. He will follow the unofficial code regarding those. There are options on the Tampa Bay roster that the Canadiens could target as they need to resign RFA’s to be Jonathan Drouin, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. Any of those players would improve the Canadiens and with the team up against the salary cap, Alex Killorn is a player who also be available. The New York Rangers will also be in cap trouble as they need to resign six RFA’s including Mika Zibanejad. Could the Canadiens offer enough to pry him from the Rangers? Perhaps a goaltending prospect to develop behind the ageing Henrik Lundqvist could be part of a package.
The likelihood is that the trade market will not open up until we get closer to the Las Vegas expansion draft. Then once that passes the flood gates will likely continue through the NHL draft as teams adjust their lineups. Picking at later in the first round at 25th overall this June, immediate help is certainly not on its way for the Canadiens…
Cheers and follow along!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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