Canadiens Trade Rumours

The Montreal Canadiens are off to the best start in the NHL thus far this season. Though their record would suggest that they are dominant, their lineup could use some improvement. The Canadiens have been lucky to be getting depth scoring from their bottom two lines, but there is some level of concern surrounding their second line in particular. The Habs’ first line has been good, and though they have been slow as of late, they have produced an appropriate amount thus far, while the third and fourth lines are completely exceeding expectations.

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GM Marc Bergevin has once again made himself look like a genius by signing Tomas Fleischmann prior to this season. Fleischmann is a key piece in the Canadiens’ new found offensive depth coming from their third line. Not to mention GM Bergevin’s acquisition of Montreal native Torrey Mitchell at the trade deadline last season. Mitchell has also been a key part in the Canadiens success till this point. But the area for concern for Habs management is on the second line. It seems as if the gamble on winger Alex Semin hasn’t payed off, or at least, not just yet. The second line now consists of Lars Eller, Devante Smith-Pelly and Alex Galchenyuk. Some may argue that former third line centre, Lars Eller, is better suited for a bottom-six role, while Devante Smith-Pelly is a temporary option on the second line.

Nov 1, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Tomas Fleischmann (15) salutes the crowd at the end of the game against the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

If the Canadiens are looking to improve the productivity of their second line, they may search for help sooner rather than later. As all Habs fans know, Marc Bergevin is not one to shy away from dealing players. It can be speculated that a need is being addressed by Canadiens management. The Habs’ have a defenceman, whom some teams would covet, sitting in the press box every night. That defenceman, Jarred Tinordi, was a former first round pick of the Canadiens, but one that hasn’t seemed to find his spot within the Habs’ top six defensive lineup yet in his career. (For more on Tinordi’s particular situation, check out my article from a few weeks ago: Canadiens Crowded Blue-Line

It’s no secret that Tinordi is on the trading block, and the question remains, what kind of return can Canadiens’ management get for him. If general manager Marc Bergevin can work his magic and get a top-six winger in return for the young defenceman, the problem of scoring on the second line would be addressed. The fact is, the Canadiens can’t expect their third and fourth lines to be producing as much as they have been thus far.

There clearly isn’t enough production coming from the second line, which now consists of Alex Galchenyuk, Lars Eller and Devante Smith-Pelly. It seems as if the first place Canadiens have been in need of a top-six winger for a few years now, and GM Bergevin hasn’t been able to find a permanent one just yet.

The Canadiens drafted highly skilled American, Alex Galchenyuk, 3rd overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Galchenyuk needs some support on his second line to add some extra firepower to the Habs lineup.

Looking around the league, there are few available players who seem to fit the Canadiens’ needs. There is one player in particular who has seen a slow start to the 2015-16 season. This player is one who, at his best, can produce like a top-6 forward. He has size, speed and skill. This player, is David Perron of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Oct 2, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins forward David Perron (57) looks on against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Perron was acquired by the Penguins last season, and has been performing below expectations since. In 43 games with the Penguins last season, Perron had 22 points while playing an average of 17:37 per game. This season, Perron has struggled mightily; he has only put up 4 points through 14 games. Penguins’ management definitely expected more from Perron, as they traded away a bottom-six player and a first round draft pick for the winger.

The asking price on Perron may be a little lower than normal due to his recent struggles. What Perron could need, is a simple change of scenery. If you don’t believe that changing a players’ scenery works, check out Dale Weise‘s stats with the Canucks and then with the Canadiens. Weise’s production more than doubled after the Canadiens made his acquisition, and he is continuing to play great hockey for the Habs this season.

The only reason a trade for David Perron wouldn’t make sense, is due to the fact that his contract expires at the end of this season. This makes a trade of this sort a little less likely to happen now, but it could be something that happens closer to the trade deadline.

If the Canadiens don’t acquire Perron this season, he could be an off-season target for GM Bergevin, as he is unlikely to re-sign with the Penguins. The Penguins are going to have some salary cap issues in the coming seasons, as they have a few big contracts on their roster and a couple young players that will soon need new deals. Perron, a Quebec native, could be interested in playing in his home province.

Nov 2, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jarred Tinordi (24) before the game against Calgary Flames at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

Looking at the Penguins roster, they currently have six natural right wingers active. Patric Hornqvist, Phil Kessel, Daniel Sprong and Beau Bennett are all playing on the right side, while David Perron and Eric Fehr are forced to play on the left. The abundance of natural right wingers isn’t the only concern in the Penguins lineup, though.

The Penguins could use help on their blueline, particularly, on the left side and Tinordi, being a lefty, would fit the Penguins’ needs. Now, I am not insinuating that a Tinordi for Perron deal would occur. If this deal was to occur, it definitely wouldn’t be simple, as a potential trade of this sort would probably involve draft picks and/or prospects. What I am saying, however, is that Perron fits the needs of the Canadiens, as he would slide in to thes second line right-wing slot, allowing Devante Smith-Pelly to work on the Canadiens fourth line and Tinordi fits the Penguins needs for depth on the left side.

The question that then arrises is whether Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin is willing to let go of his 6’6 defenceman for a player that is only signed through to the end of the season. Bergevin could bank on the fact that Perron re-signs with the Habs (like Jeff Petry did this past summer), though that would be risky. An important thing to note is that Jarred Tinordi will become a restricted free agent next season, which means he will need a new contract soon as well. His next contract will probably be inexpensive though, as he doesn’t have too much to show for himself in the NHL just yet.

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On paper, the Montreal Canadiens roster may not be extremely impressive, but statistically, they have been dominant this season. The Canadiens have the most goals-for in the league, and they are getting contributions from the majority of their lineup. The significant amount of contribution coming from the Canadiens’ bottom-6 can not be expected to continue throughout the entire season. That said, if things are going well, there might not be a need to change anything just yet. If Habs’ GM Marc Bergevin decides to pull the trigger on a trade at some point soon, one of his options will be David Perron, as he fits the bill of what the Habs need, and as his asking price will be lower than usual due to his recent struggles.

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