Canadiens Prospect Riley Kidney Involved In QMJHL Blockbuster

After weeks of anticipation, Montreal Canadiens prospect Riley Kidney has finally been traded in the QMJHL in one of the biggest trades in major junior this year.

The QMJHL star centre was finally moved hours before the QMJHL Trade Deadline to the Gatineau Olympiques for a 2025 1st-round pick, Donovan Arsenault and Bobby Orr in what was the blockbuster of the day in the QMJHL.

The Canadiens’ 2nd round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft has been on another level this season, putting his team on his back offensive with 13 goals and 28 assists for 41 points in just 27 games.

For Riley Kidney, it was almost a foregone conclusion that the Acadie-Bathurst Titans would be moving the 19-year-old before the end of the QMJHL trade period, which is set to conclude in the first week of January.

Despite not making the World Juniors roster due to an untimely injury, he’s the biggest fish on the market in the QMJHL at the moment and he’s got a multitude of teams in the hunt.

His strength as a pure centre in the league, combined with his MVP-like performances for the Titans over the last two seasons, made Kidney one of the biggest potential trade pieces in all the QMJHL.

With Acadie undergoing a bit of a rebuild, the writing was on the wall, as they had no choice but to capitalize on Kidney’s value right now; with the 19-year-old set to join the Laval Rocket next season.

L’espoir du #CH, Riley Kidney, passe un peu sous le radar, mais il performe très bien aussi! pic.twitter.com/QGr6bSGkgn

— Etienne Ferland (@EtienneFerland) November 5, 2022

High Interest

According to sources in the know, the Montreal Canadiens prospect was being courted by several top QMJHL teams including the Quebec Remparts, the Gatineau Olympiques and Kidney’s hometown Halifax Mooseheads.

General Manager and Head Coach Gordie Dwyer had a substantial asking price for his big prize, with many in the QMJHL waiting to see which team would ultimately pay the price.

In the end, after much back and forth, it was Gatineau who paid the hefty price to acquire the star centre.

GM Louis Robitaille is looking to load up on his investment as this is his last year to capitalize on top picks like Noah Warren (Anaheim), Tristan Luneau (Anaheim), Zach Dean (Vegas) and Samuel Savoie (Chicago) before selling off the farm next season when some make the jump to the pros.

It’s a huge challenge for Kidney, who instantly becomes Gatineau’s unquestioned offensive leader and top centre.

Gatineau already has a lot of their offence coming from their backend, with Lunneau, Belliveau and Maisonneuve, and having a strong one-two punch with Kidney and Zach Dean instantly vaults Gatineau into contenders status.

It’s a unique opportunity that also offers Kidney prime experience as the top offensive piece on a Cup-contending team, as he prepares to jump to the AHL next year with the Laval Rocket.

It’s a reality of the business that Kidney himself is already prepared for, as he speaks on what’s to come in the interview below:

NB: This interview was done prior to the unfortunate injury at the World Juniors camp and Kidney being cut from the roster).