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NHL trade rumors: Montreal Canadiens trying to move Jonathan Drouin?

By Dave Stevenson

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 21: Montreal Canadiens left wing Jonathan Drouin (92) looks on during the second period of the NHL game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Montreal Canadiens on february 21, 2019, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC(Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 21: Montreal Canadiens left wing Jonathan Drouin (92) looks on during the second period of the NHL game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Montreal Canadiens on february 21, 2019, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC(Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the Montreal Canadiens are trying to trade a forward. Could it be Jonathan Drouin?

The Montreal Canadiens have a surplus of forwards, even after Ryan Poehling’s unfortunate concussion. So it should surprise nobody that they are open to trading a forward, according to Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts column. That forward, according to the latest NHL trade rumors, might be Jonathan Drouin.

Friedman notes that the Habs only let Drouin play 11:57 in Monday’s 3-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was the lowest among all skaters. It’s worth noting his average time on ice per game fell from 17:36 in 2017-18 to 16:56 in 2018-19.

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Drouin has averaged under 14 minutes per game in the preseason. Furthermore, his 13:34 of ice time per game in the preseason, as of Sept. 24, is the fourth-lowest among Canadiens forwards.

With Nick Suzuki pushing for a spot in the top six, the Canadiens might have a logjam among their forwards. Drouin would be a decent trade candidate. After all, Suzuki’s a wing and Drouin’s likely a wing at this point. The center experiment appears to be over, at least for the time being.

However, Drouin was also one of the most productive forwards last season. With 53 points, he finished tied for third on the team with Philip Dannault. Only Tomas Tatar (58) and Max Domi (72) had more points.

On the other hand, Drouin struggled at five-on-five quite a bit last season. His points per hour rate of 1.85 was the second-lowest among Canadiens forwards with at least 500 minutes. Drouin is immensely talented, but he has struggled to put it all together.

If the Canadiens want to trade him, now might be the best time to do it. If Drouin’s struggles continue, trading him will only get more difficult. He has four years left on his current deal with a $5.5 million cap hit.

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It’s more likely the Canadiens will try to move one of their fringe roster players. However, they won’t get a return for them that would compare to the one they could get for Drouin. The Canadiens could stand an upgrade to their defense and Drouin might be their best trade chip.

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