The Montreal Canadiens are battling for a playoff spot and one trade pitch has them acquiring a young forward who’s in need of a change of scenery.
The website PuckPedia’s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Canadiens acquiring Matias Maccelli from the Utah Hockey Club.
Canadiens acquire:
Utah acquire:
- Joshua Roy
- 2026 second-round pick (Columbus’)
The proposed deal is an interesting one and one that does make sense for both teams. Montreal gets a young forward in Maccelli while Utah gets another young forward and a second-round pick.
The Habs would acquire Maccelli who’s in the second year of his three-year $10.28 million deal. The 24-year-old has struggled this season and was a healthy scratch earlier this season. Maccelli has recorded 8 goals and 10 assists for 18 points.
In return, Montreal would deal a second-round pick and Roy. Roy is a 21-year-old centerman who’s in the second year of his three-year $2.51 million deal. The forward would replace Maccelli in the bottom of the lineup and would add some speed and a bit of scoring. Roy has skated in 4 games this season recording 0 points.
Utah Looking to Trade Maccelli
Utah is outside of a playoff spot and has been rumored to be looking to trade Maccelli.
NHL insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported on X that the Hockey Club is hoping to deal Maccelli.
“Utah GM Bill Armstrong isn’t itching to make trade, but he is cautiously exploring the market. If he tries to upgrade his roster, especially for someone with term, it sounds like F Matias Maccelli could be part of a deal. He’s believed to be a piece they are dangling,” Pagnotta reported on X.
Maccelli was expected to have a big role with Utah this season but he has struggled to produce. Ahead of the trade deadline, Utah’s general manager Bill Armstrong says he isn’t expecting his team to be a buyer or a seller, as he expects them to be relatively quiet.
“I don’t think we’re a buyer, I don’t think we’re a seller,” Armstrong said. “We’re somewhere in between. We’re always looking to improve the team through trades and acquisitions, but at the end of the day, we’re also in a period where there’s a lot of guys that have to develop in front of us before we go chasing rentals…
“Obviously, our job on the management side is to improve the team. We try to do that every day, and it’s heightened right now because it’s the deadline,” Armstrong added. “We’ll see what’s out there, but for the most part, I think this group has earned the right to stay together.”
Utah is 27-25-9 and is two points out of a Wild Card spot.
Canadiens Sign Forward to Extension
Montreal is one of the more intriguing teams ahead of the deadline as they could be buyers or sellers.
On March 4, the Canadiens took one of the top players off the trade list as Montreal signed Jake Evans to a four-year $11.4 million deal. The deal is worth $2.85 million per season.
Evans was set to be a free agent on July 1 and was a popular trade target. But, by re-signing he will be staying in Montreal for the foreseeable future.
Evans has recorded 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in 61 games this season.
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