One of the biggest questions or weaknesses of this Montreal Canadiens roster has to be the goalie position. It is one area that they could be looking to upgrade as they return from the Olympic break, ranking near the bottom in save percentage, even though they do a good job limiting shots on goal.
However, general manager Kent Hughes can’t make a trade for the sake of making a trade and needs to be very intentional with who they bring in, if anyone at all. A player like Sergei Bobrovsky would be an example of a goalie who is clearly an upgrade and one that the Canadiens should jump at.
That isn’t the case for St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, who is rumored to be available and could be traded before the March 6th Trade Deadline. The idea was floated in an article on The Athletic recently, and the return going back to St. Louis was Brendan Gallagher, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick.
Jordan Binnington had a great run in the Olympics but that shouldn’t fool the Montreal Canadiens
Binnington was a questionable addition to the roster for Team Canada, but rose to the occasion and played relatively well to help Canada earn a silver medal. For fans in support of a trade like this, the last few weeks are what they will point to for making such a trade.
The challenge is that Binnington has a much larger sample size in the NHL this season that points to him struggling. He currently has a career-worst in save percentage of .864 and goals against average of 3.65 in 32 starts.
There is an argument that the Blues have not been a very good team, and getting a better team in front of Binnington, like in the Olympics, could help him bounce back. However, a player who isn’t a clear upgrade over what the Canadiens already have in Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes doesn’t make sense to trade for.
Especially if that trade is going to cost a first-round pick.
The Montreal Canadiens shouldn’t leave any stone unturned, but a trade like this feels like a team that is desperate to make a move. That is not the position Montreal is in, and they have gotten to this point in the season, currently second in the Atlantic Division, with the trio they have in net. Unless it is a clear upgrade, and Jordan Binnington is not, they shouldn’t make a trade.