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Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens Most And Least Common NHL Trade Partners

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8 months ago

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Kirby Dach Kent Hughes Montreal Canadiens

To get a better idea of how often the Montreal Canadiens engage in trade talks with various teams, we evaluated the number of trades that were completed over the last 20 years.

Without further ado, let’s jump right into it.

Never

There are only two teams in the NHL that have yet to complete a trade with the Habs in the last 20 years, and neither should come as a surprise.

The Seattle Kraken have only made 12 trades since joining the league in 2021-22, none of which featured the Canadiens as a trade partner.

However, the other team that has not done any trade business with Montreal has been in the league for much longer: the Boston Bruins. The last time the teams participated in a trade together was back in 2001 when Eric Weinrich was sent to Boston in exchange for Patrick Traverse.

Very rarely

The New Jersey Devils have only completed two trades with Montreal in our designated time frame. They’re followed by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vancouver Canucks, who have all completed three deals.

The presence of three Canadian teams fits a certain pattern. Montreal does not participate in very many trades with teams hailing from Canada.

Average Occurrence

The Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Vegas Golden Knights have completed four trades with the Habs, followed closely by the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers, with five.

It should be noted that the Golden Knights have quickly become a favoured trade partner when we consider they only joined the NHL in 2017.

Fairly Frequent

The next batch of teams hails mostly from the Western Conference, the Canadiens’ preferred destination when it comes to trades.

The Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks, St-Louis Blues, and Washington Capitals all have five trades in the books, whereas the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Winnipeg Jets were slightly more common trade partners, with six trades. Jeff Petry was included in half the trades the Canadiens made with the Penguins.

Very Frequent

The Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, and New York Rangers sit at eight trades each, however, seven of the trades made with the Rangers took place between 2003 and 2013, indicating that they’re no longer one of the teams the Canadiens deal with the most.

The Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks are very close to being the Habs’ most common trade partner, with eight trades each.

Most Common

Technically, two teams have managed to complete 10 trades with the Montreal Canadiens.

The Winnipeg Jets have only made seven deals, but if we add the three trades that were completed with the Atlanta Thrashers, they jump to the top of the list.

The Arizona Coyotes, on the other hand, do not need an asterisk beside their name. They’re clearly the Habs’ most favoured trade partners.

Their 10 trades with the Habs include a swap of Max Domi for Alex Galchenyuk, as well as the unfortunate trade that sent a first and second-round picks to Arizona in exchange for Christian Dvorak.

Brass Tacks

In total, the Montreal Canadiens have made 159 trades over the course of the last 20 years, with a clear discrepancy between the number of deals made with the Eastern and Western Conferences. Only 59 trades have been completed in the East, whereas they’ve dealt with Western Conference teams 100 times, which equates to 63 percent of all their moves.

And while the Coyotes are the most common trade partner, it’s also worth pointing out that the Blackhawks and Sabres matched their number of trades in the last 10 years, with six.

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