With so many injuries hitting the Montreal Canadiens of late, it became evident that GM Kent Hughes would have to look outside the organization to get some NHL-ready help, and it came earlier this week when the Habs signed newly released St. Louis Blues forward Alexandre Texier. While some were glad to see reinforcement arrive, others felt the acquisition was a bit underwhelming after a few weeks of speculation that saw the media discuss the likes of Ryan O’Reilly, Nazem Kadri, or even Sidney Crosby in some cases.
According to Research Ground’s Marco D’Amico’s sources, the Canadiens are not done shopping. In an article published on Tuesday morning, D’Amico explains, citing a Western Conference source, that the Canadiens are still looking for a center or a top-six player.
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This is not surprising news, but it doesn’t change the fact that the market has been as flat as can be of late. However, American Thanksgiving is coming up fast, and eight times out of 10, if you are in a playoff spot for that holiday, you end up making the spring dance. The Nashville Predators and the Calgary Flames are both under the 20-point threshold right now. At the same time, the Vancouver Canucks have decided to make some of their veteran players available, according to Elliotte Friedman.
Those three teams could therefore be open for business sooner rather than later, with the holidays’ roster freeze approaching on December 20th. The NHL trade market is often just a complex game of dominoes, and when one move happens, it can create a chain reaction
As D’Amico points out, and as we’ve written before, Kent Hughes is not the kind of GM to pull a move out of panic; if he were, he already would have overpaid rather than getting some low-cost short-term help in Texier. The Habs GM knows how to bide his time; he’s been sticking to his rebuild plan for years, and he’s not going to skip some steps despite the predicament injuries have put the Canadiens in.
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