The Montreal Canadiens have been active this offseason as the Habs have added more talent to their already stacked blue line.
Montreal acquired Noah Dobson to add another offensive defenseman to the lineup. But, they could look to add a defensive defenseman, and Heavy.com proposed a deal that would see the Canadiens bolster their blue line by acquiring Erik Gudbranson from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Canadiens acquire:
Blue Jackets acquire:
- Joshua Roy
- 2026 third-round pick
The proposed deal makes sense for both sides as Montreal gets a big, physical third-pairing defenseman while Columbus gets a young NHL forward and a third-round pick. Gudbranson would also be a good leader for the young defenseman the Canadiens have.
The Canadiens would acquire Gudbranson, who’s entering the final year of his four-year, $16 million deal. Gudbranson was selected third overall in 2010, but at age 33, he is more of a third-pairing defenseman and would be a leader. By acquiring Gudbranson, it could also allow Montreal to trade Mike Matheson. Gudbranson dealt with injuries as last season, as he skated in 16 games. In his NHL career, he’s skated in 805 games, recording 34 goals and 103 assists for 137 points.
In return, the Canadiens would give up a third-round pick and Roy, who’s a young forward who doesn’t have a spot in Montreal. Roy would be a bottom-six forward for the Blue Jackets and add some youth to the lineup. He’s in the final year of his three-year, $2.51 million deal. He skated in 12 games, recording 2 goals last season.
Canadiens Added Dobson to Bolster Blue Line
Montreal has a great defensive unit led by Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle.
Yet, the Canadiens made a bold move to acquire Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders before the NHL Draft. Dobson will add more offense to the blue line, and he signed an eight-year extension as part of the trade.
After making the playoffs last season, the Canadiens are looking to bolster the roster and take a further step. Canadiens’ general manager Kent Hughes says the goal is to make the playoffs next season.
“I hope we make the playoffs. I think that as a roster we probably have a better chance than maybe what we did last year at this time but we found our way in and other teams that maybe were expected to didn’t,” Hughes said. “So you’ve still got to play the games. I think I’ve hinted at it, I think we still have work to do here from a management perspective to get to where we want to be. But I like the direction we’re heading.”
Montreal was the youngest team to make the playoffs last season.
Canadiens Open to Trading Roy
Although Roy is only 21, the Canadiens have reportedly been interested in trading him.
Roy has struggled to find playing time, and Canadiens’ insider Anthony Marcotte spoke on BPM Sports and revealed Montreal is open to trading Roy.
“I see less and less of a happy future for Joshua Roy in Montreal. And right now, I’m convinced he’s on the market for a deal,” Marcotte said. “If they can get it done in a trade, I’m confident they’ll do it.”
The Canadiens selected Roy in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
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