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Trade candidates as the Canadiens would like to move more salary
Marco D’Amico of Montreal Hockey Now: The Montreal Canadiens are still hoping to shed some contracts before the season starts. They need to re-sign some RFAs and don’t have a lot of salary cap space to work with. Canadiens GM Kent Hughes said Bob McCown’s podcast that they’d like to add a few more pieces as well.
“Yes, you can always do more. We’d like to add a few things before the start of next season. Whether that happens, I don’t know. We have 15-16 forwards up front already and we have some young players we want to take a look at on defence and at forward. We could do something in the next little while too.”
Trade Candidates
Christian Dvorak – He has three years left at a $4.45 million hit. After returning from injury and after Martin St. Louis was hired, Dvorak recorded four goals and 13 assists in 22 games. A source said his name is out there more now and unlikely to start the season with the Canadiens.
Joel Armia – Multiple sources have said he’s been available since the trade deadline. His play at the World Championships piqued some more interest. With three years left at $3.4 million, they may need to take a short-termed contract back.
Mike Hoffman – Two years left at $4.5 million. Won’t be easy to move and may need to take back a contract.
The cost to trade Nyquist or Voracek would be expensive … Dubois never got his offer sheet
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic: Columbus Blues GM Jarmo Kekalainen didn’t like that Oliver Bjorkstrand trade and said “it was the best of the no-good options.”
If they wanted to trade Gustav Nyquist and his $5.5 million cap hit for this season, they possibly would have had to add a sweetener like a top prospect or a first-round pick. Trading two years of Jakub Voracek at $8.25 million may have to include a top prospect and a first.
For the past two offseasons, Pierre-Luc Dubois has been hoping for an offer sheet from the Montreal Canadiens.
Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov is eligible for a contract extension and the Blue Jackets will likely visit that soon.
