Market May Force Canadiens To Rethink Trade Strategy

The Montreal Canadiens currently sit in the basement of the NHL standings, and, if things continue, the market may force them into difficult decisions.

NHL betting odds and casinos in the Canadian market have all predicted the Canadiens would have another difficult year, and that may mean another year as sellers for the club.

And although it’s seemingly too soon to talk about selling in November, a quick view of available players leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline creates an interesting predicament for the Canadiens.

On the one hand, they want to be competitive for the remainder of the year to finish the year strong, but on the other end, some of their other players don’t fit the timeline of their rebuild.

They currently have four pending free agents of note in Jake Evans, Christian Dvorak, David Savard and Joel Armia. Of the four, Evans and Savard will likely be of interest to contending clubs down the stretch.

However, with the way the market is shaping up, Savard may end up being the most difficult decision of all the Canadiens’ pending free agents.

Thin NHL Trade Market

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes hasn’t been shy about saying it in the past; right-shot defencemen are one of the hardest players to acquire.

Teams want to keep them, and rival teams will usually overpay for them; especially when they’re contending for the Stanley Cup.

Generally speaking, pending-free agents are the most sought-after commodities from contending clubs, as they aren’t committed to the players beyond that given season.

When looking at the current crop of potential rental, right-shot defencemen, the list is extremely thin. More so than in previous years.

It’s fair to assume at this point that players like Brent Burns, Aaron Ekblad, Neal Pionk, and other defencemen on contending teams will be off the table; as their respective teams will need them in their quest for the Stanley Cup.

That leaves defencemen like Savard, Cody Ceci (SJ), Dante Fabbro (CBJ), Jan Rutta (SJ), Erik Johnson (PHI) and Will Borgen (SEA) as the crop of available defencemen.

Of the group of players, Ceci and Savard stand out the most as two of the most coveted pieces with proven playoff experience.

That puts the team in a very interesting situation, not unlike last season with Sean Monahan amid a very underwhelming rental market for centres.

Impact On Montreal Canadiens

Monahan ultimately secured a 1st-round pick, which helped the Montreal Canadiens to eventually draft Michael Hage in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Could Savard possibly do the same for Montreal and net them a 1st-round pick? It’s too soon to tell, and it would likely require 50% retention of his salary, bringing his cap hit from $3.5M to $1.75M to get it done. But that’s the type of deal that would get the Canadiens to move their veteran defenceman.

Savard’s name came up at last year’s trade deadline, but teams weren’t prepared to take on the extra year of Savard’s contract; a four-year deal which expires in the summer of 2025.

Trading Savard was on the table, and the Canadiens waited until the last possible second to get some contending teams to move; but interest clubs like the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders simply couldn’t afford to add another guaranteed salary to their cap structure for the next season.

It also worked out for the Canadiens, who counted on Savard to help bring along the young defensive prospects on the team, like Lane Hutson and Arber Xhekaj.

However, as a true rental, with no strings attached beyond this season, the Canadiens will not only have more suitors for their well-appreciated defenceman; buyers will have even less options than they did last spring.

Montreal Canadiens Trade Plans: Wait For The Right Offer

Does it mean the Canadiens will actively be shopping Savard between now and the NHL Trade Deadline?

It’s not a given that they’ll make the move, but, if they bit the bullet and moved on from Monahan for the better of their rebuild, moving on from Savard feels like it’s inevitable.

He’s 34 and doesn’t necessarily fit in the club’s competitive window, but he’s also one of only two veteran defencemen on the Canadiens’ blue line and the only regular right-shot defencemen in the lineup.

It’s already been reported that the Canadiens are looking for a top-4, right-shot defenceman on the trade market themselves; which is likely to replace a departing Savard and bring in a more age-appropriate rearguard to gel with the existing core.

Just like last spring, the Canadiens will get to February and begin weighing the value on the trade market and make a decision.

But, given Savard’s Stanley Cup-winning pedigree, the Canadiens’ ability to retain his salary and the few available defencemen at his position, interest is expected to be high for his services.

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