Canadiens Young Defenders Provides Team With Trade Options

The unintentional promotion of a quartet of Montreal Canadiens’ rookie defencemen has provided fans with a glimpse into the future, and management with some interesting options moving forward.

The Montreal Canadiens have had a healthy defensive corps for all of eight games this season, and they haven’t missed a beat thanks to the emergence of their four young defenders.

Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Jordan Harris and Jonathan Kovacevic have been surprisingly good to start the season; outplaying some of the more seasoned veterans on the team on a nightly basis.

Having a strong nucleus of youngsters growing together at the same time is a positive sign for the future, but it also begs the question: How far are they from running the Canadiens’ blueline full-time?

Guhle emerging as a defacto top-pairing defenceman, Harris steadying the boat with his great price and Arber Xhekaj giving it to everyone have given the Canadiens a glimpse into what will come.

That kind of foresight is invaluable to a general manager, as it gives them the opportunity to assess his assets and move forward with his

NHL sources across the league have confirmed to Montreal Hockey Now that the price for top-4 defencemen is on the rise, and the Ben Chiarot and David Savard trades of the past have set the Canadiens up for an advantageous situation.

That kind of foresight is invaluable to a general manager, as it gives them the opportunity for Kent Hughes and his staff to weight the pros and cons of moving someone down the line.

The Canadiens have had a plethora of high-ranking NHL executives take in their games as of late, including the Edmonton Oilers, who are confirmed to be one of the teams interested in Joel Edmundson. The Canadiens are being patient however and are seemingly building a market for their players; but the assumption was always that it was their forwards, not defencemen, that were being showcased.

The Canadiens could be under a lot of pressure to maximize their return for the future and potentially move a veteran defenceman in this case.

The Montreal Canadiens are hot on the trail of adding a third 1st round pick for the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft, and this could be the way it gets done.

https://montreal.nationalhockeynow.com/2022/12/21/montreal-canadiens-top-5-reasons-arber-xhekaj-earned-his-spot-habs/