{"id":509717,"date":"2026-03-02T16:02:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T16:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/509717\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T16:02:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T16:02:08","slug":"canadiens-trade-deadline-preview-why-blues-thomas-might-be-worth-high-price","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/509717\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadiens trade deadline preview: Why Blues’ Thomas might be worth high price"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN JOSE, Calif. \u2014 The Montreal Canadiens<\/a> are rolling into the NHL\u2019s trade deadline in a luxury ride, with the windows down and sunroof open to all possibilities that might happen to fall out of the sky.<\/p>\n

And if none do, they\u2019ll cruise, because they don\u2019t have to do anything between now and March 6.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re talking about a team that\u2019s been in a top-10 position for most of the season to date, a team that\u2019s challenging for first place in the Atlantic Division, a team that\u2019s scored more goals than all but three others in the league. A deep team currently at full health, and most importantly, a team that\u2019s well ahead of schedule on its journey to becoming a perennial Stanley Cup contender.<\/p>\n

It was just four years ago that the Canadiens embarked on a rebuild. No one \u2014 not even president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton nor general manager Kent Hughes \u2014 would\u2019ve imagined their transition out of it would be so smooth and expedient. <\/p>\n

But now, with both the present and future appearing so bright, both men will tread carefully to ensure the next step the Canadiens take is forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cKent and I spend a lot of time analyzing that next thing, and we\u2019re in a phase where whatever we do next is really important to get right,\u201d said Gorton\u00a0when we interviewed him<\/a>\u00a0ahead of the Olympic break. \u201cWhen you ask how we balance our long-term vision with not wasting the opportunity in front of us, it\u2019s hard to answer if this is the time or when the time will be (to strike) because you really don\u2019t know until something is presented to you. Kent\u2019s really good at being really on top of what is out there, talking to managers a lot. He\u2019s pretty thorough. I think our job is to be ready for whatever it is and when those decisions come, whether they come today or tomorrow or months down the road.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Then again, that came after Gorton said he and Hughes would \u201clike to be aggressive,\u201d and guaranteed they would if need be.<\/p>\n

Having space \u2014 and the ability to create more of it \u2014 as well as tons of draft capital and one of the deepest and most talented prospect pools in all of hockey has put them in the plush seats of that luxury ride.<\/p>\n

If the right piece(s) become available, you have to think Gorton and Hughes will pounce.<\/p>\n

Projected deadline day cap space: $1.49M
Contracts: 45\/50
Retention slots open: 3\/3
Draft picks (via PuckPedia<\/a>):<\/p>\n

Desires? Yes, the Canadiens have some.<\/p>\n

Start with a second-line centre who\u2019s more established than rookie Oliver Kapanen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If the Canadiens can\u2019t find one, an edgy top-six winger with winning experience wouldn\u2019t be turned away from.<\/p>\n

Mix in a right-handed, top-four defenceman that slots next to either Mike Matheson or Lane Hutson and pushes Kaiden Guhle back to his natural side on the left and you\u2019re cooking with gas.<\/p>\n

As for a goaltender, Gorton pooh-poohed that possibility before the break, and we don\u2019t think the three games the Canadiens have played since (wins over Winnipeg and Washington, with an overtime loss to the New York Islanders in between) have changed his and Hughes\u2019 stance.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re also not convinced that anything that happens in the Canadiens\u2019 final game before the deadline \u2014 against the Sharks on Tuesday \u2014 will alter that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re probably more comfortable than everyone suggests we are right now with our two goalies,\u201d Gorton said of Jakub Dobes and Samuel Montembeault. \u201cI think that we\u2019re all encouraged with how they\u2019ve both been playing lately. We\u2019re encouraged with what we\u2019ve seen from Sam since he came back (from his December conditioning stint in Laval) and Dobes has been better.\u201d<\/p>\n

No arguments here, with Montembeault ranking 13th in the league in goals saved above expected over his last 10 appearances and Dobes not suffering a regulation loss in any of his last 11 games, with his last one coming Dec. 9.<\/p>\n

Provided the first-round picks are lottery-protected, they and all the other picks would be in play for the right player(s).<\/p>\n

Rentals probably don\u2019t qualify, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on a recent Saturday Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada.<\/p>\n

Jayden Struble<\/a>: Not that he\u2019s being shopped, but his most regular place with the Canadiens this season has been on the margin of an overcrowded blue line. There\u2019s no doubt he\u2019s good enough to be a regular, though he has a better chance of being one with a team that\u2019s not as deep. If the Canadiens need to create a bit of space, clearing Struble\u2019s $1.41 million cap hit through 2027 might be one way of doing it, and so he’s being listed as a tradeable asset \u2014 with the caveat that the Canadiens will more likely hang onto Struble if no other defenceman is coming in from another team.<\/p>\n

Patrik Laine<\/a>:\u00a0He is being shopped, with the carrot of retaining half of his expiring $8.7-million cap hit dangling as enticement because little else about the player appears to be attracting suitors at the\u00a0moment. Laine\u2019s played just five games this season, and though he produced 20 goals last year \u2014 including 15 on the power play\u2014 there are few (if any) teams in playoff or title contention clamouring for his services. And the Canadiens are only likely to move him to a non-contender to clear space if they need it. Otherwise, he\u2019ll finish the season in Montreal.<\/p>\n

Oliver Kapanen:\u00a0OK, don\u2019t freak out, Canadiens fans. By no means are we suggesting the brass is pushing a 22-year-old centre with 18 goals and a very promising future out the door. But when we get to the next section, at least one of the players listed as a potential target carries a very high acquisition cost.<\/p>\n

We’re not going as far as to list top prospects David Reinbacher, Adam Engstrom, Michael Hage and Alexander Zharovsky as \u201cassets to trade,\u201d either. But if we could call them all untouchable, they wouldn’t even be mentioned.<\/p>\n

Zachary Bolduc<\/a> \/ Alex Texier: Again, neither is being shopped, but neither is completely off the table. Especially if the Canadiens need to make space for an incoming roster player.<\/p>\n

\"3232 Thoughts: The Podcast<\/p>\n

Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.<\/p>\n

Latest episode<\/a><\/p>\n

In the go-big-or-go-home category is\u00a0Robert Thomas<\/a>, because the Canadiens can\u2019t afford to just completely disregard a top centre who fits perfectly in the age range and salary structure of their team \u2014 especially one with the potential to immediately vault them into their contention window \u2014 just because they love their prospects so much.<\/p>\n

We think the world of Kapanen, Hage, Zharovsky, Engstrom and Reinbacher, too.<\/p>\n

But Thomas is a serial winner \u2014 he has two OHL Championships, one Memorial Cup, one world junior championship and one Stanley Cup to his name \u2014 who produced 65 points as a low over his last four seasons. In each of the two campaigns that preceded this one, he generated 60 assists, with 86 points recorded over 82 games in 2023-24 and 81 points notched in 2024-25. And the dip of 35 points in 43 games this season can be at least partially attributed to some injury issues and the St. Louis Blues being largely disconnected and dysfunctional.<\/p>\n

Make no mistake, if Nick Suzuki is the Canadiens\u2019 Patrice Bergeron \u2014 and\u00a0the latter seems to think<\/a> the former\u00a0fits the bill\u00a0\u2014 then Thomas could be their David Krejci. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s only more enticing that he\u2019s six-foot, 207 pounds, 26 years old, and counting for just $8.125 million on the cap through 2031.<\/p>\n

The Canadiens don\u2019t have to go get Thomas, though. They can \u2014 and might even prefer to \u2014 wait and hope for Kapanen, Hage or Zharovsky to become as effective. They can also hold Engstrom and Reinbacher, even if it\u2019s unlikely there\u2019ll be long-term space for both of them with Lane Hutson signed for eight more years, Noah Dobson signed for seven more, Matheson and Guhle both inked for five more years beyond this one, and an ace like Bryce Pickford rising up beneath them.<\/p>\n

Or Gorton and Hughes can think about creating a package no one else can beat for Thomas, who\u2019s a sure thing.<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s something like Kapanen, Engstrom\/Reinbacher, another prospect like Owen Beck and a second-round pick. Maybe it\u2019s either Hage or Zharovsky and one of the blueliners or a first.<\/p>\n

Whatever it is, the price will be very high, and the Canadiens should seriously consider paying it.<\/p>\n

Because players like Thomas rarely become available in their prime and none of those incredible prospects of theirs is guaranteed to hit the way he already has.<\/p>\n

If they deem the cost to acquire Thomas too high, then looking at either\u00a0Ryan O\u2019Reilly\u00a0or\u00a0Nazem Kadri<\/a>\u00a0to bridge the gap to Kapanen, Hage and Zharovsky\u2019s ascension makes sense. Particularly in that order, with 35-year-old O\u2019Reilly signed for just $4.5 million through 2027.<\/p>\n

The six-foot-one, 207-pounder fits perfectly with the Canadiens \u2014 as a player who plays bigger than his size, as a lefty who wins over 55 per cent of his faceoffs, as a Stanley Cup winner, and as someone who\u2019s produced 21 goals and 57 points in 59 games after putting up 21 and 55 in 79 last season.<\/p>\n

The problem is that even if O\u2019Reilly doesn\u2019t have trade protection, he\u2019s reportedly being treated as though he does. And every source we\u2019ve touched base with about him since Friedman mentioned him as a potential target for the Canadiens<\/a> has suggested he\u2019d prefer to remain in Nashville or move to a quieter market than Montreal, if he must move.<\/p>\n

Sources have suggested to us that Kadri, however, wouldn\u2019t be opposed to coming to the Canadiens.<\/p>\n

The hitch: even if the 35-year-old Cup winner is still quite productive \u2014 he has 12 goals and 41 points for a Calgary Flames team that can\u2019t score \u2014 and even if he also plays bigger than six-foot, 185, he counts for $7 million on the cap for each of the next three seasons beyond this one.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t know if the Canadiens would meet Flames GM Craig Conroy\u2019s high asking price to take all that on, but we do know they can\u2019t without clearing significant space.<\/p>\n

As far as an edgy winger is concerned, Calgary\u2019s\u00a0Blake Coleman<\/a>, who makes $4.9 million per through 2027, is compelling. But some sources have indicated Montreal is among the 10 teams he\u2019s listed on his modified no-trade clause,\u00a0and two others have suggested his destination of preference is Dallas.<\/p>\n

When we sat with Gorton, he didn\u2019t feel “an imminent need” for a defenceman who could be counted on more than Struble or Arber Xhekaj currently are.<\/p>\n

And while we didn\u2019t talk with Gorton about getting a big crease-clearing, board-eating righty to play above them, it stands to reason he and Hughes would be in the market for such a player. We were banging the drum earlier this season for Vancouver\u2019s\u00a0Tyler Myers<\/a>, but that was before sources informed us his family situation had him unlikely to waive his no-movement clause for any team in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n

Maybe that changes now that Myers has been told the Canucks want him to consider offers already on the table to move him.<\/p>\n

If it doesn\u2019t, Philadelphia\u2019s\u00a0Rasmus Ristolainen<\/a>\u00a0fits, even if he\u2019s never played an NHL playoff game. Like Myers, he\u2019s only under contract for one more season, and the price to pay will likely only be picks.<\/p>\n

My friend Tony Marinaro, of the Sick Podcast, has speculated about Chicago\u2019s\u00a0Connor Murphy<\/a>,\u00a0who\u2019s six-foot-four, 212 pounds, right-handed, and on an expiring $4.4-million cap hit.<\/p>\n

But we don\u2019t know if Montreal sees him as a fit, and it\u2019s unclear what the front office would be willing to pay for a rental.<\/p>\n

What we know for sure is they won\u2019t make trades just to make them. If the Canadiens stand pat, after having already added Bolduc, Dobson, Texier and Danault since the off-season, it\u2019s because the right thing(s) didn\u2019t fall through their sunroof.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN JOSE, Calif. \u2014 The Montreal Canadiens are rolling into the NHL\u2019s trade deadline in a luxury ride,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":509718,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":["post-509717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=509717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/509718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=509717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=509717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=509717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}