The Canadiens Almost Traded For A Top-Six Young Forward
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period joined TSN Radio in Montreal and was asked about who has the greatest value among the Montreal Canadiens’ young defensemen. He dropped the nugget about how they rejected a trade earlier in the year for a top-six young forward.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
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Host: “Dave, we’re going to get into the stories around the National Hockey League, but maybe you could chime in on this conversation. We just had a sound off, and Carl just gave us a call talking about, you know, Reinbacher’s debut on the weekend and how many defensemen the Canadiens have value-wise, value on a trade market if the Canadiens want to move a defenseman to get in a great asset.
What defensive piece has the most value right now from Lane Hutson, Reinbacher, (Logan) Mailoux, and (Kaiden) Guhle? Maybe it’s a Mike Matheson. What piece has the greatest value right now on the Canadiens?
Dave Pagnotta: “The greatest value you’re probably looking at. It’s a tricky one, to be honest, because it’s obviously situational; it’ll depend probably, I would say, maybe a Reinbacher or maybe Guhle, And honestly, it’s tough to say, I mean, Matheson would be a different type of move. If you’re moving one of the younger guys, you’re doing talent for talent, and chances are it’s going to be a larger type of deal with multiple pieces in place.
It’s difficult to gauge. What I can tell you is based on the assets the Canadiens have earlier on in the season, and we might have talked about this and or reported this earlier on in the season. But the Canadiens turned down a top-six forward young top-six forward for Arber Xhekaj earlier this season. So that just shows you how much value the Canadians hold in some of their young defensemen.”
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Host: “Dave, just don’t tell me that the young top-six forward for Arber Xhekaj was Wyatt Johnson. Just don’t. Don’t tell me that.”
Pagnotta: “No, no. I don’t think the Canadiens would have turned that down. But that was not the offer, and I don’t think Dallas would have done that in the first place.”
Host: “I’m just checking. I’m just checking. Okay, I’m just checking.”
Pagnotta never mentioned who the player was, but you know speculation will run rampant, considering Trevor Zegras‘s name has been linked to Montreal.
