3 players the Montreal Canadiens should trade after playoff exit

1. Jonathan Drouin

I’m not sure if the Montreal Canadiens will be able to trade Jonathan Drouin, but if they can, they should jump on it. Drouin’s value has been shrinking for several seasons now. He hasn’t lived up to his massive potential and has become a very expendable part for the Canadiens. Drouin has a $5.5 million cap hit and 3 years left on his deal.

This season, Drouin suffered some injuries and was limited to 27 games. In those 27 games, he had 15 points and averaged 15:42 of ice time per game, his lowest average during his tenure in Montreal.

Drouin had a nice showing in the playoffs, picking up 7 points in 10 games. But the fact remains Drouin’s not a very good fit with the Canadiens. Maybe his postseason performance will persuade teams to take a chance on him. But given the flat salary cap, trading him will be hard.

Another reason they should trade him is Drouin’s modified no-trade clause kicks in after next season. When it kicks in, it’ll be even harder for the Canadiens to trade him.

It’s likely the Canadiens will have to retain some of his cap hit to make him a more attractive trade candidate. At, say, $4 million a year, I think Drouin would fetch at least some interest. Certainly more than he will at his current price.