John B

Thanks for the clarification. I forgot that Subban's NTC doesn't kick in until he's 27. Another minor deal according to thefourthperiod.com and the tsn ticker, Rangers just dealt Emerson Etem to Vancouver for Nicklas Jensen and a 6th.

thefourthperiod.com reported that the Canadiens were one of the teams that had expressed interest in Cam Atkinson. However I've read recently that Atkinson is one of Tortorella's favorites and that he may no longer be available. They also reported that Scott Hartnell could be available, but he has a NMC. With the Jackets getting their defenseman from the Preds, I wonder what the cost of Hartnell would be and if he would be willing to waive his NMC to play in Montreal.

The Habs aren't going to make any blockbusters. Too many things working against it. The Jackets and Preds were able to make a significant move because both teams had what the other needed. The Jackets are jockeying for 1st overall and the chance to draft Matthews, as opposed to competing for the playoffs. With all their injuries this season (most recently losing both their starting and backup goaltenders), they are essentially throwing in the towel on this season and building towards next season. The Preds had an abundance of talent on their blueline, unlike the Canadiens. Habs have quantity, but not the same quality. Plus Subban, Markov, Petry, and Emelin all have some sort of NTC or NMC. That's why the deal worked between Preds and Jackets. The Kings/Flyers deal was a depth move, not much different than the moves we have been seeing Bergevin make so far this season. Habs can forget about Drouin. Yzerman isn't going to deal him to the Canadiens unless the Habs are overpaying. It's been speculated by several writers that Yzerman is worried about getting fleeced like the Bruins did in the Seguin deal. If that's true, it's a poor comparison as far as trades go. Seguin had established himself as a top 6 forward when he was dealt and Drouin hasn't. Drouin will not be one of the best point producers in the league like Seguin. IMO I don't think this is a good comparison for Drouin's value, but it is likely that Yzerman wants a better return than Boston got for Seguin. One of the big factors IMO that is making trades difficult this year is the lack of separation in the standings. Last place in the east Columbus is only 11 points out of playoff spot and last place in the west Edmonton is only 8 points out with half a season left to play. I think it's safe to say that Columbus has likely thrown in the towel (unless they acquire a goaltender), but there are 29 other teams vying for a playoff spot. So nobody wants to sell a player for prospects or draft picks quite yet unless it's to facilitate a salary dump. I wish the NHL would get rid of the 3 point game to help separate the standings a bit more. A win is worth a point, a loss (regardless of it happens in OT or SO) is worth 0 points. This could create more sellers which would improve the trade market Overall I think this why we aren't seeing many blockbusters this season. Unless a team is willing to tank or give up on this season and re-tool for next season, I find it unlikely that Bergevin will be able to find a trade partner that will give him the long term piece they need before the deadine. Habs are likely going to bring another rental or two at the deadline and that will be it until the summer.

I agree with Stogey24. I'm not advocating that we do it, but agree that the Habs can't trade spare parts for a legitimate piece in the top 6. Looks like another rental this year at a steep price. Bergevin will have to add a permanent solution in the offseason. If he can.

Hextall did a good job. Rumor has it that Lecavalier is going to retire at the end of the season. So he basically dumps to players that they didn't want for a 3rd and a young player. Good trade between Columbus and Nashville. Addressed each others needs. Obviously the Canadiens never had a shot at Johansen with the return being Jones.

Drouin would be a nice add, but for the right price. I'm always concerned when Montreal is trading for a player that has yet to realize his potential. The Habs would be trading for potential here and that's something that you don't want to overpay for. Drouin isn't a top 6 forward yet, and he may never get there. Chances are that he will be a productive NHLer, but there is always risk involved with acquiring young players that haven't fully developed. My guess is that the Lightning are going to want the same return for Drouin as they would for a legit top 6 forward.

Not sure what would be needed to get Drouin. Possible comparable trades could be Turris to Ottawa for Rundblad and a 2nd, or Nieddereiter to Minnesota for Clutterbuck and a 3rd.

Can't say I really like this deal, but Kassian didn't have much trade value. I was really hoping he would get an opportunity to show what he could do before any decision would be made on him.

I like Stewart, but he would be another gamble in a way. He hasn't been able to find that scoring touch that seen him score 30 goals a few years back. For 1.7 mil he is having a decent season though. I wondered why the Canadiens didn't seem to have any interest in him last trade deadline. The Habs weren't mentioned once as possible pursuers for his rental services. The Habs also didn't seem to show much interest in him after July 1st. He has power forward ability and seems to check off enough boxes as to what the Canadiens need on the RW.

Just read on mynhltraderumors.com that the Canadiens have had discussions with the Jackets about Johansen. Jimmy Murphy (apparently a hockey writer/columnist) has apparently confirmed this. No other players were named, but he doesn't believe a deal can get done unless Galchenyuk is part of it. If I wasn't so computer illiterate I would post a link, but I have no idea how to do that on my laptop.

Good question. Not sure. I don't think that you "accidently" click "like" on twitter on 3 different occasions on the subject of being moved to Toronto. Maybe once is an accident. He has shown interest in playing for the team he idolized growing up. It maybe not be a sure thing, but there is certainly a legit risk.

Stamkos is a bad idea unless we're getting him for cheap (Vanek type deal). Which isn't going to happen. There is too much risk in giving up the kind of compensation that Yzerman will want for a player who will likely only be with the team until July 1st and than bolt for Toronto. What if we pay the premium price to get him, lose in the playoffs and than he leaves as a UFA? We will have nothing to show for the good assets that we gave up and would be further behind in our quest to win #25. We all seem to be assuming that Stamkos = Stanley Cup. If we want Stamkos, make a pitch for him on July 1st. Our window is open for longer than just this season.

I read about a rumor a few days ago on hockeybuzz.com. It said that Philly was looking to trade a top 6 forward to Montreal for picks and prospects. Cap restraints may prevent the Habs from trading picks and prospects alone for a top 6 forward unless their is retained salary. The Canadiens have somewhere around 2 million in cap space right now. Philly's forwards under 3 million. Brayden Schenn C - $2.5M Sean Couturier C - $1.75M (goes up to $4.4M when his extension kicks in next season) Michael Raffl LW - $1.1M Scott Laughton C - $864K Ryan White C - $800K Taylor Leier W - $780K P.E. Bellemare W - $713K Chris Vande Velde C - $713K Colin McDonald LW - $625K Aside from Schenn and Couturier, I don't think the other player listed are true top 6 forwards. Both Schenn brothers have been the subject of rumors this season. I've also read that Couturier is untouchable. Raffl scored 21 goals last season, but only has 2 this season. Can't see him being considered as a legit top 6 forward. I like Wayne Simmonds, but it would take more than picks and prospects to get him. Habs would need to shed at least 2 million in cap space to make room for him. I don't think Philly would have interest in any of Montreal's available defenseman. They have NHL veteran Andrew MacDonald in the minors and are rumored to be trying to move Luke Schenn and/or Mark Streit. They also have promising young defense prospects Provorov, Morin, Gostisbehere, and Sanheim.

Does Emelin have a full NTC or a partial NTC? I thought it was only a partial and the Canadiens could ask him to submit a list of x amount teams that he couldn't be dealt to. Maybe I just misread that somewhere. Ever since Capgeek.com shut down, it's been difficult to find this type of info. Never mind. Just checked another topic on here and found the info. His partial no trade starts next season. Thanks anyway guys.

Simmonds would be a nice addition, but what would the Habs give up for him? Flyers aren't interested in defenseman. They are currently trying to trade one (Luke Schenn) to make room for Andrew MacDonald. They also have some solid defense prospects so Tinordi is unlikely to be very attractive to them. Also to acquire Simmonds, Canadiens would likely have to shed some salary (Semin seems like the only real option that doesn't hurt the team and he doesn't have much trade value). They only have about 3 million in cap space right now. So no prospects and draft picks alone for Simmonds. Hearing a lot of rumors on several rumor sites regarding Eller as a trade chip. Doesn't make much sense to me. Trade Galchenyuk's left winger to acquire him a right winger? Still leaves a hole on his line. I suppose if it was an upgrade it's fine, but otherwise it doesn't work. The Habs best bet is to trade from an area of depth (their defense) for a forward to play with Galchenyuk and Eller. Boston, Carolina, Colorado, Columbus, Edmonton, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh are looking rumored to be looking to add a defenseman or two. Anaheim is looking to shake things up, Chicago, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver are rumored to be looking for upgrades for their bluelines. Finally, the Islanders are looking for a defenseman in exchange for Hamonic. Perhaps there's a three way deal that could be worked out and the Habs could flip Hamonic for a forward. Not sure if Montreal has the pieces to trade for Hamonic, but maybe something could be worked out. There was a rumor that Bergevin had interest in Vrbata about a week ago. Why not go after Higgins instead? Maybe the bridge between Higgins and Montreal has been burnt though? He has one more year at 2.5 mil. He's a solid all situation player with leadership qualities and can play any forward position. Tinordi and Semin to Vancouver for Higgins? Canucks are trying to get younger, so Tinordi fits in with that. They also lack a big physical defenseman since trading away Bieksa. Tinordi likely gets a top 6 spot, likely playing ahead of Yannick Weber and probably Ben Hutton. Semin could be intriguing with the Sedins.

Just read a rumor on hockeybuzz.com by some blogger named Eklund. He said that Bergevin has held preliminary trade talks with Vancouver about Vrbata. No other names mentioned. Judging by the comments made by some readers, this Eklund guy might be a hack. However, I wouldn't be surprised if the Canadiens had interest in Vrbata. I'm hoping they don't do it. He's a potential UFA with a big cap hit and will likely be expensive to acquire. I'd rather see the Habs go after a more long term solution if they're going to shell good assets.

The column I read didn't say what type of defensemen the Kings were looking for. Only that they seemed interested in possibly adding a couple of defensemen. It was just an observation that the Kings seem short on right handed defenseman. So I would assume that one of the defensemen they seek would be a righty and Gilbert would be an upgrade over McBain. Tinordi and Pateryn would be depth guys for the Kings for this year with the potential to be more down the line. Emelin is a doubtful target because he can't play nice with Lucic, but these guys are pros so you never know. The only other player that I can see is maybe Beaulieu if the return is lights out good. I agree that Subban and Petry aren't going anywhere, Markov neither.

I had read that the Kings were one of many teams looking for a defenseman on mynhltraderumors.com about a week or two ago. They only have 2 right handed shot defenseman currently on the roster (Doughty and McBain. Greene is out with an injury). They don't seem to high on McBain. He was on waivers at the beginning of the season. They have right handed defense prospects, but I don't think any of them are NHL ready. Not even for call up duty.

Thanks for the welcome "habs rule". I've been reading posts from everyone since before the trade deadline last year. Seems like a cool place with nice people to chat about our favorite team.

If Tinordi's trade value is that low then I vote to keep him, but get him into some games. He's not going to get any better in the press box.

Hope you guys don't mind me jumping in on the Canadiens defense discussion. Most of the rumors I've read on several sites are saying that Boston, Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, and Los Angeles are currently or were at some point this season looking for defensemen. Boston, and Chicago are in cap trouble so will need a dman with a friendly cap hit. Columbus and L.A. can't afford anyone too expensive either. Tinordi would make sense for any of these teams. I like prospect Brandon Carlo in Boston, but is it wise to make a trade with a division rival? Would Boston even consider trading him for Tinordi? As far as trading Emelin goes, we would most likely have to take back a contract. There was a rumor on mynhltraderumors.com before last season's trade deadline that Bergevin and Murray of the Ducks were working on a trade that involved Emelin and Fowler. The rumor report said that there were "other pieces" involved, but it was unknown what they were. Emelin injured himself just before the deadline and the Canadiens and Ducks swapped Sekac for Smith-Pelly. I wonder if there was a bigger deal in the works and if the Canadiens and Ducks could still work out an Emelin for Fowler deal. I look forward to hearing what you guys think.