Montreal Canadiens NHL Trade Rumor Roundup And Analysis

Welcome to your one-stop shop for all Canadiens trade rumors, including analysis of the potential deals leading up to the deadline.

Sean Monahan

With Sean Monahan on the long-term injured reserve, interest in a trade has been rather low of late.

But seeing as teams are scrambling to match the teams loading up for the playoffs arms race, Monahan’s name has resurfaced.

I'm told the Montreal Canadians are receiving calls on Sean Monahan.

The belief is that MTL wants a mid-round pick for Monahan. #GoHabsGo

— Jacob Stoller (@JLStoller) March 3, 2023

A mid-round pick would be a reasonable return, especially since the Canadiens already received a first-round pick for absorbing Monahan’s contract last summer.

Although it leads us to the question: should the Canadiens attempt to re-sign Monahan on a one-year deal? If the player is interested, it’s the right route.

However, if Monahan is set on signing with a new team next season, a mid-round pick is just about as good as it gets in terms of a return on investment, especially given his health status.

Joel Edmundson

The Montreal Canadiens have been rather quiet ahead of the March 3rd deadline, but there’s one player in particular, who has garnered a significant amount of interest around the league: Joel Edmundson.

TSN hockey insider Pierre LeBrun updated the Edmundson situation on Thursday.

“He’s a player who may not get traded, but he’s on the market,” said LeBrun. “There are a couple of teams interested in Joel Edmundson, I’m told.  He has another year on his contract, which, for some teams is scary, because of the injury he’s coming back from. But to some teams, there’s value, because they don’t want to spend on a rental.”

LeBrun mentioned the Calgary Flames as one of the teams that have shown interest in Edmundson, adding that Edmundson would fit the Flames’ needs since he’s not a rental and provides cost certainty next season.

It’s also worth noting, Edmundson is now third on TSN’s Trade Bait board.

There’s certainly some value to adding a player of Edmundson’s ilk to your lineup, particularly in the playoffs when the war of attrition is brought to the forefront.

But there’s a major hurdle at the moment.

The Flames are not in a playoff position, nor are they statistically likely to finish in the top 8 by the end of the season. The additional year left on Edmundson’s contract may mitigate some of the short-term issues, but this feels like the type of trade that is more likely to occur during the offseason.

Calgary is also at the 23-player roster limit, which means there may be a warm body heading back Montreal’s way if a deal were to occur.

We will be keeping a keen eye on all the potential trade activity, providing analysis as the information becomes public. Check back soon for more deadline analysis regarding Canadiens trade rumors.