Earlier tonight, the Minnesota Wild acquired forwards Ryan White and Martin Hanzal from the Arizona Coyotes:
ARI sends Martin Hanzal, Ryan White and 2017 4th rder to MIN.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 27, 2017
MIN sends 2017 1st rder, 2018 2nd rder, 2019 conditional 4th rder (conditions to follow) and minor leaguer Grayson Downing to ARI.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 27, 2017
The Wild's acquisition proves that they believe in their Stanley Cup championship aspirations. The Central Division leaders have collected 84 points and are 6-3-1 in their last 10. Moreover, they can now pride themselves on having one of the strongest center positions in the National Hockey League, as Eric Staal, Mikko Koivu and Hanzal himself are all 6' 3" or taller.
As for the Montreal Canadiens?
Once again, fans are disappointed because there was a strong belief for months that general manager Marc Bergevin was making a push to acquire Hanzal's services. After all, a big center would have been an ideal addition to a rather small team, and fans have been begging for an upgrade down the middle for over two decades. Nevertheless, it became clear that the asking price was significant- one that Bergevin was not willing to pay for a "rental" player since Hanzal is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Standing pat was the smart choice, as the Habs could possibly find themselves out of playoff contention if they do not win 11 of their remaining 20 games. Trading away numerous draft picks would have hurt the organization in the long run, and with only a few days left before the Trade Deadline, perhaps Bergevin is saving his best work for the last minute.
One thing is for certain: not acquiring Hanzal turned out to be a good call by the general manager, as the former would have been a Band-Aid solution to a long-term problem the Habs have had. I believe that even the addition of Matt Duchene, for instance, might not solely be enough in fixing this team’s glaring lack of scoring prowess. As Bergevin continues to maintain his secretive business practices, perhaps fans will be pleasantly surprised as to just how much trade activity there will be in order to give the team an opportunity to make the playoffs in a more convincing fashion. For now, the waiting game is of the essence.