Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes remains interested in improving his roster. Much of the talk surrounding the team’s search involves bringing in a new top-six forward. While this is true, Hughes and the Canadiens would also like to round out their defense. More specifically, Montreal could use another quality right-handed blueliner.
Because of this, NHL journalist Marco D’Amico believes that the Habs could reignite interest in Calgary Flames star Zach Whitecloud. Montreal was previously linked with the veteran defender before the previous trade deadline. On the most recent episode of The Starr & D’Amico Show, the reporter was asked about the Montreal Canadiens potentially becoming a trade partner with the Flames.
“If you’re trading with Calgary, Zach Whitecloud is the player you would be looking at,” claimed D’Amico. “I look at that lineup. You have Simon Nemec. You have Zayne Parekh. Those two guys are going to want to push for higher billing as the season goes. And I think there’s going to be significant interest in Zach Whitecloud. For me, that would be the player that I would be looking at on that team.”
Calgary previously landed Whitecloud in a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights back in January. The deal involved sending Rasmus Andersson to the fellow Western Conference club. Although a relatively small sample size, Whitecloud played well for the Flames. In 31 games north of the border, the blueliner registered 10 assists while averaging over 22 minutes per game on the ice.
Zach Whitecloud Would be a Great fit for the Montreal Canadiens
GettyLanding Zach Whitecloud would solve a positional problem for the Montreal Canadiens.
Outside of his statistical output, the Montreal Canadiens would be interested in Whitecloud for two specific reasons. First of all, the defenseman is signed through 2027-28 with an annual cap hit of just $2.75 million. He previously signed a six-year, $16.5 million deal with Vegas. As D’Amico points out, Hughes and Co. prefer not to target players set to immediately become unrestricted free agents.
“[Whitecloud] is someone I think the Canadiens have coveted in the past, and I think that is the kind of player that they would like to add if they were going to shore up their defensive group,” continued the reporter. “[Montreal] is not the kind of team that wants to make that kind of acquisition as a rental.”
On top of this, Whitecloud being a righty would suit the Montreal Canadiens. At the moment, the club’s blue line is left-handed heavy. In fact, Noah Dobson and Alex Carrier are the only NHL defensemen on the roster who naturally play on the right side. Left-handed superstar Lane Hutson has been filling in on the right side, but acquiring a new righty would move him back to the left.
Montreal has Assets to Make a Significant Trade
The Montreal Canadiens also have to figure out what to do with Arber Xhekaj this summer. The left-handed blueliner is currently a restricted free agent and could be traded soon. Calgary has been linked with the enforcer in recent weeks, but D’Amico recently poured cold water on a potential deal between the two teams. Nevertheless, Montreal offloading Xhekaj could help open the door for Whitecloud.
The Flames are likely to want young, NHL-ready players in return for Whitecloud, assuming they do eventually trade him. The Canadiens have a fairly full roster and quality youngsters waiting in the wings. In fact, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler previously ranked Montreal’s prospect pool as the ninth-best in the league.
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