In light of the recent trades that occurred in the National Hockey League, Montreal Canadiens fans are left scratching their heads in disbelief. Many are wondering what on earth it will take for general manager Marc Bergevin to pull the trigger on a transaction that could bolster the Habs' ailing offense.
Let's review.
On Friday, the Anaheim Ducks acquired forward Patrick Eaves from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 2017 second-round draft pick. Eaves, 32, has posted a career high 21 goals and 16 assists in 59 games played thus far. The right-handed right wing has also been a key part of the Stars' power play, and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. His $1 million salary cap hit made him one of the most attractive players available on the trade market.
If the Ducks reach the Western Conference finals, the Stars will be compensated with a first-round selection instead:
Here are the conditions on the draft pick Dallas gets back from Anaheim in Patrick Eaves deal. Could become a first-rounder: pic.twitter.com/pchYuyrqtE
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 24, 2017
Moreover, estranged former 2011 35th overall draft pick Tomas Jurco of the Detroit Red Wings made it clear that he wanted out a few weeks ago, and his wish came true. The Red Wings sent him packing to an Original Six rival in the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2017.
Despite posting no points in 16 contests this season, The 24-year-old's potential as a third-line, two-way forward has never been achieved with a team on the brink of missing the playoffs for the first time in 26 years. The 6' 2" left wing suffered a back injury that kept him out of the lineup, and he spent extended periods of time with the Grand Rapids Griffins this season.
The price paid for both of these players seems to be affordable for the Canadiens, who have two second-round draft picks in 2017 and three in 2018. Acquiring either of them would not have hurt the team in the long-run. Fans are nevertheless starting to seriously question whether Bergevin and the organization have put a proverbial “X" on the 2016-2017 season, given a lack of trade activity thus far and the chances of the Habs squeezing into the playoffs looking less and less probable. Should the team manage to win 12 of their remaining 21 games and somehow make it, getting "rental" players for a group that's unlikely to have a successful postseason would be an utter waste of assets. With that in mind, I would not be surprised to see Bergevin make the bulk of his moves during the offseason, similarly to last year.
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As the Habs ready themselves to face off against their Atlantic Division rivals on Saturday night, head coach Claude Julien is making minor adjustments to his lineup in order to try and secure two extremely important points in the standings.
#Habs practice lines Pacioretty-Danault-Radulov; Lehkonen-Galchenyuk-Gallagher; Byron-Plekanec-Shaw; Andrighetto-Desharnais-Mitchell #HabsIO
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) February 24, 2017
Artturi Lehkonen and Alex Galchenyuk showed off their chemistry in a losing effort against the New York Islanders on Thursday night, and could look to prove that they belong together for a long time should they provide some offense. Also, it appears as though Sven Andrighetto and David Desharnais will be reinserted into the lineup while Michael McCarron and Brian Flynn sit the game out.
As the playoffs rapidly approach, the pressure for the Habs to come out with a victory at the Air Canada Centre is higher than ever. One look at the standings demonstrates that their first-place position in the Atlantic can disappear by the end of the weekend, as a loss against the Maple Leafs and a victory by the Ottawa Senators (against the Florida Panthers) on Sunday would drop the Canadiens down to the second spot. The Senators would continue to have two games in hand and the Leafs would therefore have 70 points as would the Boston Bruins should they defeat the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
The Atlantic Division standings, as of Saturday morning (courtesy of ESPN): pic.twitter.com/uEYXtbTWnC
— Andrew Saadalla (@andrewsaadalla) February 25, 2017