Canadiens Have Decision To Make On Newly-Acquired Prospect

The Montreal Canadiens acquired a new prospect at the NHL Trade Deadline, but they have very little time to decide his future.

27-year-old defenceman Tony Sund was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens in their three-way trade with the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins last March at the NHL Trade Deadline.

In exchange for retaining 50% of Nick Bonino‘s contract and prospect Arvid Henrikson, the Montreal Canadiens received Sund and a 2024 5th-round pick from the San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks had signed Sund to a one-year deal on May 19 for the 2019-2020 season, but never came over to play for them due to the ongoing pandemic. The Sharks, therefore, retained his rights until the July 1 immediately following his 27th birthday, which is a month away.

Sund is considered a bit of a late bloomer, playing a majority of his time in the Finnish Liiga before making his mark in the SHL in Sweden over the last two seasons.

The 6-foot-3, 183-pound defender is quite mobile for his size and plays a solid two-way game. He played alongside fellow Montreal Canadiens prospect Adam Engstrom with Rögle this season, forming a pair with the 19-year-old man and helping him transition to country’s top league.

The Canadiens thus likely had a significant amount of data on him, having monitoring Engstrom quite closely this year.

Having already signed an entry-level contract in 2019, Sund is eligible to receive a regular, standard contract, should the Canadiens choose to sign him.

However, Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes doesn’t have long to make a decision, as the July 1 deadline is fast approaching.

Although Sund could be an interesting gamble for the club, the Canadiens are littered with many left-shot defencemen, both on the main club and in Laval.

However, if the Canadiens decide to move some left-shot defencemen in moves to improve the club at other positions, Sund could be an excellent insurance policy with some upside.