The Montreal Canadiens have been climbing up the Eastern Conference standings recently, fighting for a wild-card spot. A month ago, when they were near the bottom of the standings, many believed GM Kent Hughes would once again be a seller at the trade deadline.
However, Stu Cowan from The Montreal Gazette suggests that Hughes might take a different approach and act as both a buyer and a seller by the March 7 deadline.
Cowan thinks Hughes could consider trading players who are about to become unrestricted free agents, like David Savard, Jake Evans, Joel Armia, and Christian Dvorak. Instead of asking for draft picks and prospects in exchange, Hughes could seek players who can immediately help the Canadiens in their playoff push.
Hughes is likely to avoid acquiring players with expiring contracts unless they are willing to sign extensions. He would probably prefer roster players who still have at least a year left on their contracts.
Regarding Evans, Karine Hains from The Hockey News mentioned there are mixed reports about his future with the Canadiens. Marco D’Amico from RG.Org shared information from sources suggesting that Evans’ good performance in his contract year could make him too expensive for Montreal.
One source told D’Amico that they didn’t think a three- or four-year deal worth $3 million per season was possible for Evans. Another source felt they couldn’t afford to pay a fourth-line center upwards of $3.5 million long-term if they wanted to stay competitive.
However, Renaud Lavoie from TVA Sports believes that Evans and the Canadiens will reach an agreement. A source told Lavoie that Evans wants to stay in Montreal, and the Canadiens are eager to keep him. With the salary cap expected to rise to $100 million in two years, it wouldn’t be a big issue if Evans got an extra $1.5 million per year on top of his current $1.7 million salary.
Hains mentioned that Evans plays an important role for the Canadiens, and given that Montreal is still in the playoff race, trading him wouldn’t send the right message to the players.
Meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators have struggled since their starting goalie, Linus Ullmark, was injured on December 22. They’ve lost five of their last six games and have fallen out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
There is no clear timeline for Ullmark’s return, as he’s listed as “week-to-week.” In the meantime, the Senators have been relying on backup Anton Forsberg and third-stringer Leevi Merilainen.
A report from Postmedia suggested that the Senators should look for a new goalie, but the options are limited. Potential targets include John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks, Cayden Primeau from the Canadiens, and James Reimer from the Buffalo Sabres.
Gibson is considered the best option, but his $6.4 million cap hit through 2026-27 makes him a more expensive choice. Additionally, Gibson has a 10-team no-trade clause, which may include the Senators.
Adam Proteau from The Hockey News believes that Karel Vejmelka from the Utah Hockey Club or Jake Allen from the New Jersey Devils would be ideal targets, but neither of them is currently available.
If the Senators decided to pursue Vitek Vanecek or Alexandar Georgiev from the San Jose Sharks, they might need to move Forsberg. Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames are holding on to Dan Vladar to avoid overworking promising goalie Dustin Wolf.
