NHL / nhl trades

The NHL Trade Deadline is coming very soon and the next 2 weeks will definitively be very interesting around the NHL and for the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens have surprised everyone so far with a 31-18-7 record and currently the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The big question that now facing GM Marc Bergevin is do he continue with the same team or try to improve the team for the playoffs? This is not an easy answer honestly. Let's say that he decide to improve his team. Which players the Habs should target at the Trade Deadline? The biggest needs of the Canadiens are in defense. Let's look at 5 options: Cam Fowler The name of Cam Fowler has been linked to the Canadiens a lot in recent weeks and months. He would sure be a fantastic partner to Shea Weber and could be the piece the Habs need to go deeper than expected in the playoffs. Fowler is entering the prime of his career at 27. The only problem might be his long contract and the price to pay to acquire him. We know for sure that the Anaheim Ducks will be looking for a first-round pick and good prospects in exchange of Fowler. Are the Canadiens willing to pay big to acquire him? I don't think so but this something that Marc Bergevin needs to think about. Fowler would also help improve the powerplay of the Canadiens who is ranking 30th in the league. Hampus Lindholm A teammate of Cam Fowler in Anaheim, Hampus Lindholm would also be a great addition to the Canadiens defense. Lindholm is a little bit younger than Fowler but the price to acquire will probably be the same than for this teammate. His long contract of 6 years is very long but he would be part of the Canadiens future for a long time. Hampus Lindholm is not a defenseman who will score many points on goals during a season but he is very good defensively and could be a great second behind Weber. Jay Bouwmeester The addition of a defenseman like Jay Bouwmeester could be really intriguing for Montreal. Bouwmeester has a lot of experience at 35 and will become UFA at the end of the season. He could sure help the Canadiens and I don't think the St-Louis Blues would ask too much for a defenseman like this. Maybe a 2nd round pick and a prospect could be enough to drag him out of St-Louis. This could be a similar situation than when the Canadiens acquire Jeff Petry at the Trade Deadline in 2015 and got the chance to resign him at the end of the season. I don't know if Jay Bouwmeester would be interested in signing a contract of 2-3 years in Montreal but this addition could be worth it. Alexander Edler We don't really know what the Vancouver Cancuks will do with Alexander Edler. There were rumors coming out of Vancouver a couple of weeks ago that the Cancuks didn't want to trade him anymore. The team is currently in a playoffs push and Edler is currently out of the lineup due to concussion symptoms. If Edler is not healthy by the deadline, Vancouver won't trade him. We will have to wait and see what happen but if he is available, Edler could be a good addition to the Canadiens defense. He is very good defensively and could bring a lot of toughness, leadership, and size to the group. Adam McQuaid This would be a surprising addition for the Montreal Canadiens but Adam McQuaid might be an option for Marc Bergevin. McQuaid played for Claude Julien in Boston and was part of the 2011 Stanley Cup championship with the Bruins. McQuaid won't be the guy to play with Shea Weber on the first pair but he could be the type of low-risk high reward trades that Marc Bergevin love to do. McQuaid could be a great option to replace a guy like Mike Reilly as a 5th or 6th defensemen for example.