The Montreal Canadiens have been on a hot streak and one trade pitch has them bolstering its offense with an intriguing deal.
The website PuckPedia‘s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Canadiens acquiring J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks.
Canadiens acquire:
Canucks acquire:
- Mike Matheson
- Owen Beck
- 2025 first-round pick (Calgary’s)
- 2025 third-round pick (Vancouver’s)
The proposed deal would be interesting as Montreal would get Miller for two NHL players, as well as two draft picks that Montreal had previously acquired in trades.
Miller is in the second year of his seven-year $56 million deal with the Canucks. The star forward has been in the midst of trade rumors due to his feud with Elias Pettersson. Miller would be a top-line player for Montreal and help bolster its offense. This season, he’s skated in 28 games recording 6 goals and 19 assists for 25 points.
In return, Vancouver would get two picks, including a first. However, another big part of the return is Matheson as the Canucks badly need defensive help. Matheson is in the seventh year of his eight-year $39 million deal. He’s skated in 27 games recording 2 goals and 18 assists for 20 points.
Beck, meanwhile, has been playing in the AHL and the 20-year-old could be a depth forward for the Canucks. The former second-round pick has skated in 32 games recording 7 goals and 15 assists for 22 points this season in the AHL.
Canucks Fielding Offers for Miller
With Miller and Pettersson having a public feud, both names have come up in trade talks.
Sportsnet’s NHL insider Elliotte Friedman claimed the Canucks are fielding offers on both players, as both could potentially be moved.
“The Canucks are definitely, definitely looking at the market for both players and you should be prepared for all outcomes,” Friedman reported on the Saturday Headlines. “There’s really three [options]: Neither gets dealt, one of them gets dealt, or both get dealt. That’s on the table. I don’t want to predict the likelihood of any particular scenario, but all three of those outcomes are possible.”
The Canucks will look for NHL players in return, which is why the Canadiens deal does make sense. Vancouver would get two draft picks, a top defenseman, and a young forward who can play NHL minutes down the stretch.
Canadiens Could be Buyers & Sellers at Deadline
Montreal has been one of the hottest teams in the NHL. That could lead to the Canadiens being buyers at the trade deadline.
According to Canadiens insider Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette, he expects Montreal to be both buyers and sellers at the deadline.
“I think the Canadiens could be both buyers and sellers at the March 7 trade deadline if they are in the mix for a playoff spot at that time. Jake Evans, Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia and David Savard can all become unrestricted free agents on July 1 and GM Kent Hughes will certainly be listening to trade offers for them,” Cowan wrote.
“But instead of just looking for young prospects and/or draft picks in return Hughes will likely be looking to add players who can help the Canadiens immediately. Evans would fetch the most in a trade if Hughes doesn’t re-sign the 28-year-old centre before March 7,” Cowan added. “If offers for the other three players aren’t significant and Hughes believes they can still help the Canadiens in a playoff push the GM might decide to keep them. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.”
The Canadiens are 18-18-3 through January 4 and are just one point back of a playoff spot.
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