There is no secret that the Montreal Canadiens are eyeing a new star forward. General manager Kent Hughes already has a solid young roster to work with. He, however, wants to essentially complete his forward group with one more key player. The top exec recently attempted to strike a blockbuster deal for Columbus Blue Jackets winger Kirill Marchenko. Nevertheless, an agreement could not be worked out.
Montreal’s pursuit of Marchenko clearly signifies that the club is willing to make a major splash. Despite this, NHL insider Marco D’Amico is reporting that the Canadiens are only targeting very specific players. Montreal is focused on landing a young, proven star player. As the reporter stated on The Starr & D’Amico Show, Montreal “needs home runs, not reclamation projects.”
D’Amico’s comments came while discussing the team’s reported interest in Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson. According to the reporter, the Canadiens are not seriously considering striking a deal for Pettersson. “That’s a guy that I personally would take a swing on,” D’Amico said of the Vancouver forward.
“But from what I’m being told, it’s not a guy that, at his full salary especially, would be of interest to the Montreal Canadiens. It’s a needless risk for a position they feel can be filled internally if things go well with Michael Hage’s development this year.”
Montreal Canadiens Have Cap Space to Acquire Elias Pettersson
GettyCanucks star Elias Pettersson is likely seen as too risky for the Montreal Canadiens.
As D’Amico alludes to, Pettersson’s current contract is a doozy. The star center previously signed an eight-year, $92.8 million deal ($11.6 million AAV) with the Canucks in 2024. He, however, has not exactly performed up to this significant salary since signing the deal. Pettersson has posted 96 total points, albeit on a disappointing team, over his last 138 regular-season games.
The Canucks are willing to part ways with Pettersson this summer, but only if another team takes on most (if not all) of his cap hit. According to PuckPedia.com, the Canadiens do have over $13 million in projected cap space. As a result, Montreal could afford to acquire the star center. Nevertheless, Hughes and Co. are clearly turned off by Pettersson’s recent track record.
Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright is likely in the same boat. The young forward has also been linked to Montreal in recent days, but the Canadiens have, so far, resisted a deal. Along with Wright’s recent drop in statistics, Seattle has also slapped a significant price tag on the youngster. D’Amico claims that the Kraken wanted Zeev Buium from Vancouver in a deal involving Wright.
Montreal Resisting Certain Trades Because of Top Prospect
Many Montreal Canadiens fans could be frustrated by their club’s picky stance. Nevertheless, Hughes is just being patient regarding the situation. The club has the necessary funds and top prospect pool to strike a blockbuster trade. However, as D’Amico puts it, the team wants to resist acquiring “maybes” and instead target a proven player.
The Canadiens are also obviously very high on Hage. The team’s top prospect will return to the University of Michigan for one more season. Assuming things go well in his development, Montreal would then stick Hage into their lineup come April 2027. Because they have Hage in the back of their minds, the Canadiens can be picky when targeting significant trades.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Canadiens Not Targeting $92 Million Forward on Trade Block appeared first on HEAVY.