Montreal Canadiens: Top 5 players they should trade at the deadline

Ilya Kovalchuk

Nobody batted an eye when the Montreal Canadiens signed Ilya Kovalchuk after he was released by the Los Angeles Kings. Many thought he was washed up. But since joining the Canadiens, Kovalchuk has revived his game, putting up eight points in eight games. By comparison, he had nine points in 17 games this season with the Kings.

The Canadiens signed Kovalchuk to a deal worth $700,000, which is the league minimum. Considering a ton of contenders don’t have much cap space, Kovalchuk is someone that teams could definitely be interested in. Especially if he keeps looking as impressive as he has with the Canadiens.

Anything the Canadiens get for Kovalchuk would be a net gain. After all, they signed him for just the league minimum. A second-round or third-round pick seems reasonable, though. The latter is more likely, though if Kovalchuk maintains or at least stays close to his current point per game pace with the Canadiens, the former is certainly not out of the question.

Eric Engels of Sportsnet believes the Canadiens should hold out for a second-round pick, and I agree with him. The Habs aren’t short on draft picks, nor are they deprived of prospects. Kovalchuk seems very happy with the Canadiens, so it wouldn’t shock me at all if they sign him to an extension if they don’t trade him. And even if they do, don’t be shocked if he signs with Montreal in the summer.