Montreal Canadiens: Matt Duchene makes no sense as a rental

Matt Duchene makes a lot of sense for the Montreal Canadiens. But not unless there’s an extension involved.

The Montreal Canadiens have been one of the NHL’s biggest surprises this season. Goaltender Carey Price is back to being one of the best goalies in the world after a terrible 2017-18 campaign. They’ve been tied to Matt Duchene in some of the latest trade rumors.

General Manager Marc Bergevin has said he’d like to stay away from “rentals”, or players who could become free agents in a few months. I’ve been critical of him in the past, so it’s only fair to point out this is the right mindset for the Canadiens. They have a solid core of young players already and there are more on the way.

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Now, Duchene could make sense for the Canadiens. After all, he’s a darn good player and the Habs have enough center depth that they might be able to put him at wing and let him focus on scoring goals. Duchene would also take some of the pressure of the likes of Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Phillip Danault, and Max Domi.

The Canadiens rank 13th in the NHL in scoring. That’s above average, but they could clearly use someone like Duchene to give the offense a boost. However, without an extension, the Canadiens should have no interest in acquiring him.

It would cost a lot to acquire Duchene. The Canadiens have a strong prospect pool, so chances are, they’d be giving up a darn good player to get him, along with a first-round pick. Right now, Montreal shouldn’t be in the business of giving up assets to get a few months of Duchene, or any player who would cost a lot for that matter.

The Canadiens could always wait until free agency to sign Duchene. At least then it would only cost them money, instead of prospects and draft picks. If the Canadiens sign Duchene long-term, and they certainly have the cap space to make it happen, they could be Stanley Cup contenders pretty soon.

Duchene currently has 58 points in 50 games despite playing on a downright dreadful Ottawa Senators team. That would be the highest point total on the Canadiens. Duchene has the versatility to play at wing or at center.

The Canadiens are building something special. There’s no reason they should ruin it for a rental. Even if the Canadiens do trade for Duchene, let’s be honest, they’re not going that far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Suddenly, the Habs will have lost valuable assets for a few months of a great player.

Duchene makes all the sense in the world for the Canadiens. He would be a perfect fit and would turn their offense from a slightly above average one into a potentially great one. But unless there’s an extension involved in the trade, the Canadiens should just wait until free agency to try to woo Duchene.