Speculating Montreal’s Trade Chips

The 2026 NHL trade deadline is now less than a week away.  Beyond draft picks, what other potential trade chips might the Canadiens be willing to part with?

While the Habs are sitting in a playoff spot, the expectation of many is that they’ll try to make a move.  But with Montreal still in the early stages of emerging from their rebuild and not being a true contender, it’s fair to wonder if they might prefer more of a pure ‘hockey trade’, similar to the Zach Bolduc-Logan Mailloux swap.  With that in mind, some candidates for that type of swap will also appear here.

Canadiens

Patrik Laine: Let’s start with the obvious one.  The Habs have given his agent permission to try to find a trade that gives him a chance at playing time down the stretch, something that isn’t likely to happen if he stays.  Even if Montreal has to retain up to the maximum of 50% of his $8.7 million cap hit, that would still free up flexibility for them to do some other things since they have less than $1.5 million in full-season spending room on deadline day.

Kirby Dach: Since returning from injury, he has fared okay on the top line, albeit on the wing.  With Oliver Kapanen emerging as a viable option and the addition of Phillip Danault midseason, Dach is likely to stay on the wing with the Habs.  But his natural position is down the middle and with lots of teams looking for centres, he might have some value.  If the Habs have decided they don’t want to tender him a $4 million qualifying offer this summer, they might be open to moving him.

Alex Newhook: This is a little more speculative but he’s a bit of an odd fit on the roster now.  It’s nice to have his speed back in the lineup but the early extension to Alexandre Texier created a bit more of a logjam on the wing.  Just 25 like Dach, he’s young enough that a rebuilding team might have interest in him in a swap that sees the Habs fill a different role on their roster.  (Perhaps the back end?)

Jayden Struble: I could also put Arber Xhekaj here as it’s largely the same situation but I think Struble is the likelier to move.  He seems to be the seventh option right now and neither he nor Xhekaj have the trust of the coaching staff.  Xhekaj’s physicality makes him the likelier to be kept so if they want to add to their defence corps (and I think they do), Struble may be the odd one out.

Samuel Montembeault: If management decided to take a swing at adding between the pipes, Montembeault would likely be the cap-matching casualty going the other way.  Beyond that, his standalone value isn’t at its best so selling low might not make the most sense.

Rocket

Owen Beck: He’s near-NHL-ready and plays a premium position.  On the other hand, the Habs have Nick Suzuki and Kapanen signed or under team control for the long term and Jake Evans signed for a while yet.  Michael Hage could figure into the mix at some point as well.  It’s too early to say there’s a surplus but he could be someone they deem expendable in a player-for-player swap.  While Beck’s value is down, he’s the type of prospect that some teams will want to give a look to right away.  Those are often the types of players that get moved at this time of year.

Joshua Roy: When things are going well, Roy has some legitimate middle-six skill.  Getting things to go well consistently has been a challenge and with Montreal’s depth on the wings, an extended NHL look probably isn’t coming his way.  Being waiver-eligible next season, this might be the time to move him.

Jared Davidson: His ceiling is probably just a fourth liner but he showed in his NHL stint earlier this season that he can hold his own in that role at the top level.  He’s young and cheap enough that there should be teams showing some interest, particularly in lieu of a draft pick if the other team is more of a win-soon one over a rebuilder.

Filip Mesar: This would be selling low, quite low, in fact.  But if it’s determined that he’s unlikely to reach his ceiling, he could be flipped in a swap of prospects that need a change of scenery.  Those moves typically happen more in the summer but in-season swaps like that aren’t unheard of.

Riley Kidney: I don’t think the Habs are in a spot where they should feel the need to move someone to clear a contract but if they do, he’s the logical fit if a team wants a healthy player back on an expiring deal.  If the other team doesn’t need a healthy player back, then it would be Gannon Laroque.

Adam Engstrom: The four-week injury probably lowers his odds of being moved as the acquiring team would seemingly want to get him in the NHL lineup right away.  But their depth on the back end is bound to yield another casualty or two soon enough and Engstrom’s value has never been higher, especially with another year left on his entry-level deal.

William Trudeau: He’s someone who probably doesn’t get enough attention as a quietly reliable defenceman in Laval.  I could see teams wanting him to boost their AHL team and maybe one or two out of contention even wanting to give him a couple of games in the NHL.  I think the Habs would rather keep him but if a team likes him enough, maybe there’s a chance he moves.

Other Prospects

Vinzenz Rohrer: Already signed to his entry-level deal, this year has been a struggle which landed him on the Stock Down list earlier this week.  He’s a versatile player with some international success though which might be viewed equivalently to a mid-round pick.

Sam Harris: He has one more year of college eligibility left after this one although it wouldn’t shock me if there were a team or two somewhere that wanted to turn him pro this year.  If the Habs want someone from that team or two, Harris might fit in a swap.

Filip Eriksson: Readiness is an element that teams covet at this time.  Eriksson isn’t NHL-ready but he’s nearly signing-ready to make the jump to North America so there will still be some appeal.  He’s having a nice season in the SHL and the fact he’s a centre certainly helps as well.  He’s an under-the-radar piece to keep an eye on.

Bogdan Konyushkov: He’s a player who’s probably close to being NHL-ready but the defenceman signed a one-year KHL extension earlier this season.  I think there’s still a pathway to playing time in Montreal in that third RD spot at some point but he’d have some quiet value in a trade.

Luke Mittelstadt: He needs to be signed by mid-August or the Habs lose his rights.  They’ve tried to sign him once already unsuccessfully (last summer) so if they think there’s a chance he’d rather test free agency, trying to flip his rights to ensure some sort of return could be an option.

Quentin Miller/Emmett Croteau: Both goalies went from largely being afterthoughts in Montreal’s prospect pool to netminders having impressive college seasons.  With the depth of Montreal’s goalie group, one could be deemed expendable as a piece of a trade return.

Personally, I’m not expecting too much from the Habs at the trade deadline.  With the additions of Danault and Texier in-season, they’ve already added some pieces and since they’re far away from contender status, swinging big on a rental doesn’t seem too likely.  A smaller rental move, sure, but nothing huge.

But there are some potential player-player or prospect-prospect swaps that might be appealing to management.  If that’s the case, it wouldn’t be shocking to see some of the players here being involved in a move like that.