NHL Rumors: Montreal Canadiens, and the Boston Bruins

Will the Montreal Canadiens move a forward? Teams are still interested in Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk.

Jan 24, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Rem Pitlick (32) and Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (48) battle for the puck during the second period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sport

Will the Montreal Canadiens move a forward?

The Fourth Period: The Montreal Canadiens have 14 NHL-calibre forwards, and that is not including Christian Dvorak, who will be out for at least a month. They could send a player or two to the AHL.

David Pagnotta wondered on TSN 690 radio if depending on how they fill out their four lines, if they could look to trade someone before the season starts.

Forward Joel Armia has two years left at $3.4 million and has been in the rumor mill dating back to last season. Would they be able to find a team looking for a third-line winger?

They’re over $6 million over the salary cap ceiling but have LTIR candidates in Carey Price and Dvorak.

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Teams are still interested in Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk

Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now: Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk will likely continue to have his name in the rumor mill as teams look to shed salary, to fill a need, or have a youngster earn a spot.

“Chatter is picking up more as I scout preseason games here,” a Northeast-based NHL pro scout told Boston Hockey Now on Wednesday morning. “Teams are starting to see if maybe they have a young player that can make the jump or eat up more minutes. Look at what the kid Lohrei did in Buffalo last night. Sure, he made some mistakes, but he didn’t get down on himself, and man, he ate some minutes up. I watched him a lot last season. I think he could be ready for the show.”

If Lohrei earns a spot, the Bruins could look to shed Grzelcyk’s $3.6 million cap hit, or maybe Derek Forbort‘s $3 million cap hit.

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The scout isn’t sure about Forbort, but says teams are interested in Grzelcyk, and wonders if the Chicago Blackhawks would be interested. They could use some power-play help and he would be their best left-handed defenseman.

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