Canadiens Wrap: Drouin, Weber, Gallagher, Subban, NHL Trade Rumours

What should the Montreal Canadiens do with Jonathan Drouin before or after the NHL Trade Deadline?

Could a P.K. Subban return to the Habs be in store this summer?

Can Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes actually trade Shea Weber’s contract?

That and more in the MHN Canadiens Wrap:

Montreal Canadiens

Should the Montreal Canadiens hold onto forward Jonathan Drouin to see what he can do under new interim head coach Martin St. Louis? Or try and move him before the NHL trade deadline or at the draft? My partner-in-crime at MHN, Marco D’Amico, examines the pros and cons of trading and keeping Drouin.

The New Jersey Devils are trying to trade former Canadiens star defenceman P.K. Subban. While it really makes no sense for the Habs to acquire him before the deadline, what about in free agency this summer?

Minnesota Wild beat writer for The Athletic, Micheal Russo is one of the most reputable NHL writers around. Russo seems to think that Kent Hughes could entice Wild GM Billy Guerin into acquiring the years left on the contract for Shea Weber.

Speaking of Hughes, did he just hint to Sportsnet Canadiens reporter Eric Engels that the Habs are planning on keeping Brendan Gallagher around after this season?

National Hockey Now

BOS: Speaking of Subban, would the longtime Bruins make sense as a depth addition on the blue line for the Boston Bruins ahead of the deadline?

NYI: There’s been some NHL trade chatter that New York Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov is one of a plethora of goalies available ahead of the deadline. Did his performance in a 5-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche increase the chances he gets traded or that the Isles keep him?

Pittsburgh: Despite numerous reports and NHL trade rumors, it appears the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks never seriously got to the point that the Penguins trading for Brock Boeser was or is imminent.

Philly: Could Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux and Washington Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette be reunited by the NHL Trade Deadline?

Washington: Despite basically being run by the greatest Russian NHLer ever in Alex Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals finally did the right thing and condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Oh, and by the way, if I read one more sob story about Ovechkin’s precarious situation when it comes to this, I’ll puke! He made his bed here and I’m so tired of the fanboy media who won’t tell it like it is!

Detroit: Are the Detroit Red Wings shopping defenceman Filip Hronek ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline?

Vegas: Will the Vegas Golden Knights trade forward Evgenii Dadonov?

San Jose: Should the San Jose Sharks SEAL the deal and pay homage to the California Seals with their new retro jerseys for next season?

Canada Hockey Now

Montreal: Does it make sense for the Montreal Canadiens to trade Jonathan Drouin before he has a legit chance to play under new interim head coach Martin St. Louis?

Vancouver: How should other Russian NHLers, who unlike Ovechkin, didn’t repeatedly align themselves with a murdering oppressor, handle the increasing dangerous and precarious position they find themselves in thanks to Vladimir Putin?

NHL

So much for the Jared McCann back to the Penguins NHL trade rumors. The Seattle Kraken signed the forward to a five-year, $25 million extension on Tuesday.

Could the Canadiens actually unload the Shea Weber contract before the deadline or this coming offseason?

Sadly on Tuesday, I found out that the brother of my good friend Stuart Ashton, Carey, passed away from a long and fierce battle with muscular dystrophy. Stu owns McLean’s Pub in Montreal, who sponsors Montreal Hockey Now, and was a rock to lean on for me when my Dad passed away in 2014 while I was working and living in the 514. Stu, to you and your family,  here’s our Irish Track of the day. Love you mate!