Canadiens Reportedly Have Their Eye On Oilers Prospect

The Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers have been linked in trade talks before, and are expected to renew those talks again later this season, as the Canadiens have their eye on one of their top prospects.

In a recent segment for 98.5 FM, commentator Dany Dubé talked about potential suitors for Sean Monahan as the seeds for potential NHL Trade Deadline deals will begin to be planted in the coming weeks.

Dubé believed that there are a handful of teams that could use a player like Monahan down the road, and he proceeded to list them on air:

“Teams with a top line that produces 40% of their scoring are going to want a guy like him (Monahan) who can bring that 200-foot game and secondary scoring,” said Dubé on Monahan’s attractiveness as an asset. ” I’ll tell you who will be interested. Dallas, for sure. Edmonton, for sure. Then you look around the league at Colorado, they have one line working right now as well.”

It’s a list that certainly makes sense, as secondary scoring, especially from a centre, is perhaps the most valuable trade asset on the market come NHL Trade Deadline.

However, with the game being in Edmonton, Dubé decided to take his point a step further, by once again linking the Montreal Canadiens to one of the Oilers’ top prospects.

“I think, however that Edmonton and Dallas, first and foremost, will be interested in Monahan,” said Dubé who continued on his thought. “And don’t be surprised if the Canadiens ask for Xavier Bourgault. He’s playing in the Oilers’ organization right now. He’s a former 1st-round pick. The Canadiens have already spoken to the Oilers about him in the past.”

Xavier Bourgault was the 22nd overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft by the Oilers and was one of the top goalscorers in all of Canadian major junior last season with 36 goals in 43 games.

He’s slowly begun his adaptation to the pro game so far, playing in the AHL for the Bakersfield Condors as a 20-year-old. His nine points in 19 games still rank him third on the team in scoring, and his five goals during that span put him at second on the team for goal-scoring.

Keep in mind that Bourgault was eligible to return to the QMJHL this season, but instead made the jump to the pros. He may be listed as a centre, but he’s projected to be a goal-scoring right wing at the next level with the potential to put up some interesting numbers next to a good playmaker.

With the Canadiens already owning two 1st round picks in the 2023 NHL Draft, and having other assets they could move to acquire the third 1st round pick that General Manager Kent Hughes covets, perhaps having a more NHL-ready prospect like Bourgault as part of the deal could be more advantageous to the Canadiens.

He would fit right in with the core of the team, would present the Canadiens with another viable, long-term right-shot after Cole Caufield in the lineup, and wouldn’t have the pressure to quickly develop that he currently has in Edmonton.

It’s certainly something to keep an eye out for, as the Montreal Canadiens were in extensive talks with the Edmonton Oilers last year before the NHL Trade Deadline.