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Habs Wrap: Evans Trade Talk, Dach, Guhle, NHL Trade Deadline

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montreal canadiens trade targets

MONTREAL — There’s always Montreal Canadiens news to be absorbed on a daily basis, but there are only so many hours in a day. On Sundays, we recap the most exciting and relevant NHL news stories that you may have missed throughout the week so that you can stay in the Canadiens loop.

Monday

It comes as no surprise that Jake Evans is garnering interest on the NHL trade market, but what if the Canadiens put together a combo deal that included both Evans and Joel Armia, as a one-stop shop for your penalty killing needs. There are a few NHL teams that desperately need special teams help if they’re to make any noise in the playoffs. [Canadiens Trade Talk: Top 3 Teams That Could Use Evans & Armia]

Many assumed the Canadiens would immediately collapse without Kaiden Guhle, but surprisingly, the team’s possession numbers have looked significantly better without the 23-year-old defenceman. Most individuals on the blue have improved as well, but it’s worth noting that Alexandre Carrier, the player who absorbed the most ice time since Guhle’s injury, is struggling.  [Habs Analysis: Kaiden Guhle Injury Leads To Surprising Results]

Tuesday

It’s a tale of two prospects when comparing Oliver Kapanen and Filip Mesar’s seasons. Kapanen has excelled in the SHL, demonstrating that he’s reaching the point where he can be considered a legitimate lineup option as early as next year. Mesar, on the other hand, has struggled to produce while dealing with significant injuries now that he’s in the AHL. The Laval Rocket announced Mesar would likely miss six weeks of action with yet another lower-body injury. [Habs Prospect Report: Kapanen Thriving, More Mesar Adversity]

Juraj Slafkovsky enjoyed a great game against the Senators on Saturday, but the true test came versus the Carolina Hurricanes. As we all know, Slafkovsky has had his fair share of good nights, but consistency has been an issue. The 20-year-old forward opened the scoring for the Canadiens in their impressive 4-0 win over Carolina, using his body to create chaos near the Hurricanes crease. We also have to give credit to Nick Suzuki, Mike Matheson, Lane Hutson, Samuel Montembeault, and Patrik Laine, among others.  [Habs Highlights: Juraj Slafkovsky Leads The Charge In Big Win]

Wednesday

If you haven’t had a chance to watch Michael Hage play for the University of Michigan, just know that he’s a supremely entertaining prospect. The rookie has maintained a point-per-game pace with 13 goals and 19 assists in 29 games, and the vast majority of his scoring plays involve him executing at top speed. It’s one thing to skate fast, but it’s another to skate at full speed while maintaining control of the puck.

Hage’s player card reflects his strong play in the NCAA.


Don’t look now, but Florian Xhekaj is in the midst of an impressive rookie season with the Rocket. His 14 goals place him just two behind Pierrick Dube for the most from a rookie in franchise history.


Unsurprisingly, Suzuki and Cole Caufield are among the most common shooting pairs in the NHL. Suzuki sets them up, Caufield knocks them down.


The Montreal Victoire fell behind 1-0 to the Toronto Sceptres, but thanks to goals from Jennifer Gardiner, Laura Stacey, and, of course, Marie Philip-Poulin, the road team pulled out a convincing 3-1 win. The Victoire maintained the top spot in the PWHL standings, while Poulin’s 12th goal of the year padded her lead over all other players in the league.

Thursday

It’s always good to see Andrei Markov in Quebec. I know most people immediately point to the fact that Marc Bergevin denied Markov a chance to play 1000 games in a Canadiens uniform, but the way I look at it, he played well over 1000 games when we include playoff hockey. The final tally is also rather fitting (1079 games played).

Speaking of former players, Evans and Cole Caufield caught up with current Shark Tyler Toffoli. He currently leads San Jose with 21 goals in 56 games, however, that’s not shocking by any means. Toffoli tends to lead the goal-scoring charge wherever he goes.

The Pittsburgh Penguins placed Matt Nieto on waivers. He’s a 35-year-old left-handed defenceman, which means he does bring some value from an experience standpoint, but his underlying numbers collapsed the moment he arrived in Pittsburgh. This dog no longer hunts.

The Habs set to host a Juraj Slafkovsky bobble head night, and I have to say it’s probably the first time a bobble head has really captured the likeness of a player.

Friday

It’s worth watching at least one more time. Cole Caufield’s overtime goal versus the San Jose Sharks was a thing of beauty.

Full marks to Caufield for the goal, but Thursday’s game also featured a great effort from his linemates on the top trio. Nick Suzuki scored two crucial game-tying goals, while Juraj Slafkovsky continued to play with confidence. When Suzuki and Caufield are playing well, the Habs have a decent chance of winning. But when all three are playing well, the top line becomes dominant, which goes to show how important Slafkovsky is to the current lineup.  [Habs Highlights: Top Line Dominance Secures Big Win]

We also saw Owen Beck’s first career point in the NHL. As per tradition, he worked hard, drove the puck down low, and then did everything it took to get the puck into a high-danger scoring area.

It was a quintessential Beck play. With the NHL trade deadline quickly approaching, it’s starting to become evident that Beck’s solid play in the NHL opens up options on the trade market for Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes.

Is this a good sign?

I’ll be perfectly honest, I tend to roll my eyes when Hutson breaks 100-year-old records, because it’s a completely different game nowadays, but any time a player matches Nicklas Lidstrom, you know good things are coming. I’d go as far as suggesting Lidstrom is the best defenceman in the history of the NHL, but I don’t want to upset all the Robert Orr fans out there.

Saturday

There was some unfortunate news on the health front, as forward Kirby Dach underwent surgery to repair his right knee, the exact same knee that required a surgical intervention last season. It’s the third consecutive year that Dach has faced a season-ending injury, placing his future with the Canadiens in doubt. The most important aspect of this whole situation is Dach’s health, including mental health, but we also have to be realistic about his long-term value to the organization.

On the flip side, prospects such as Owen Beck should receive a healthy uptick in NHL usage now that Dach is sidelined. [Canadiens Analysis: Impact Of Long-Term Kirby Dach Injury]

We recently identified a few NHL teams that could use penalty killing reinforcements, with the Minnesota Wild and the Edmonton Oilers leading the pack. This was before Pierre LeBrun confirmed both the Wild and the Oilers, among other teams, have indeed inquired about a potential trade involving Montreal Canadiens forwards Jake Evans and Joel Armia.

Seeing as the Habs aren’t interested in mediocre draft picks or B-level prospects, we took a look at what some of the interested teams, which also include the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Winnipeg Jets, could offer the Canadiens in exchange for either Evans and/or Armia. [Canadiens Trade Talk: Potential NHL Returns For Evans And Armia]

Head coach Martin St-Louis was rather animated at practice, and while some may think that type of attitude is a little much, especially since the Canadiens are on a three-game winning streak, I’d argue there’s always room for improvements.

In fact, the whole ‘don’t change a winning lineup’ theory makes no sense to me. You’re telling me you wouldn’t put Nick Suzuki back into the lineup if he missed a game? Okay, that’s not very realistic, since Suzuki doesn’t miss games because he seems to have Wolverine and Cal Ripken Jr. DNA running through him. But you know what I mean.

Arber Xhekaj didn’t have his best game versus the San Jose Sharks, which led to a benching via Martin St-Louis.  The 24-year-old defenceman took the situation in stride, another sign of the maturity he’s gained since jumping from the OHL directly to the NHL.


Juraj Slafkovsky discussed the team’s solid play since returning from the 4 Nations Faceoff break. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield tend to play fairly well on the first line, with or without Slafkovsky, but their best hockey takes place when Slafkovsky is overflowing with confidence, which is currently the case.

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John Smith

Hi Marc, 

Unfortunately, I respectfully have to say that this is one of the few times that I have to disagree with you. I was alive when Bobby Orr played and let me say that no player, not even Gretzky or Lemieux dominated the game like Orr. He was a jaw dropping one man force of nature. Think of Mario Lemieux when he came back from his cancer scare and multiply this by a double factor. 

Bobby Orr revolutionized hockey. He was Doug Harvey on steroids. 

Players literally froze at times as he moved up the ice in wave after wave of end to end rushes. And. Unlike Gretzky, he did not need any player to do his dirty work. Orr was tough as nails. 

Steven Brunt wrote a fantastic book on Orr. One description of this incredible talent was likening him to 60s music legend Jimmy Hendrix. He was literally a wild force let loose for a short but amazing period of time. 

It’s very hard comparing players from different generations and eras. For example, I never saw either Jean Béliveau or Gordie Howe in their primes and thus, I have a hard time arguing how either of these greats compares to Gretzky, Lemieux, Crosby or McDavid. Why? The eye test cannot be discounted. 

My arguments here are my personal opinions. I respect yours. I’m simply providing those of a generation that was blessed to  have witnessed Orr’s incredible greatness. 

As a side note, did you know that if he suffered his initial injury today, he would only have been sidelined for 2-3 weeks? The doctors in his day were not knee specialists, just general surgeons. As a result, for his first operation, Orr had half, yes half his kneecap removed. This remaining half ground up his leg bone area. 

And yet, somehow, despite this extensive damage, he press the peddle to the metal and went out in a blaze of glory by playing outstanding, unmatchable hockey for team Canada during the Canada Cup. 

I say all of this being a die hard Habs fan who detests the Boston Bruins. 

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Peter

It is no use comparing players of different eras with different rules, if Beliveau and Howe had a 82 game schedule they would have played more than 200 more regular season games! With the red line in play they couldn’t make 2 line passes! Delayed off-side, icing, better hockey sticks and other equipment, etc. Interesting to note that in 1968 Serge Savard dominated Orr and the Bruins in the playoffs and won the Conn Smythe, before he broke his leg he was the closest player in talent to Bobby Orr I had ever seen. If Orr was head and shoulders better than everyone else why couldn’t ever beat the Canadiens?

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John Smith

Good points. One series does not determine who’s best. Savard had great potential and was an outstanding defender despite his major injuries but he was not other worldly. As a Habs fan, I would love to say that Savard was better but I can’t. If you could go in a time machine and somehow convince Sam Pollack to sign Orr to a C Form and he never gets his injury and for whatever reason you could not do the same with Savard (genie magic rules thingy) who would you pick? Please be honest. You take Orr without any hesitation. Right? Again, you make great points but as great as Savard was, he was no Bobby Orr. No one was or in my opinion, is.

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Rick Sandees

Orr the best that ever played

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