November 22, 2024 | 12:58pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

CANADIENS CONTINUE TO EVALUATE TRADE MARKET

Christian Dvorak, forward

The Montreal Canadiens sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and are 29th in the NHL in the overall standings ahead of just the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators.

Canadiens GM Kent Hughes and his staff did not expect to be last in the East at any point this season, and even with some injuries to kickoff the 2024-25 campaign, the Habs appear to be disappointed in their overall performance, to date.

With Patrik Laine skating and Rafael Harvey-Pinard in Laval on a conditioning loan, Montreal’s depth up front is about to get even deeper.

The Habs have five forwards playing on expiring contracts and Hughes could look to move one of them to help free up a roster spot in the coming weeks.

Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans, Michael Pezzetta and Lucas Condotta are all set to become unrestricted free agents this coming summer. Among them, it appears Armia and Dvorak are unlikely to be brought back next season and are considered prime candidates to be dealt by the March 7 trade deadline.

While word across the NHL is that Hughes is still manning the phones and engaged in various discussions with other clubs, a move going into Friday is not believed to be imminent. Montreal has recently been linked to such teams as Anaheim, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and Edmonton.

The Canadiens also have defenceman David Savard in the final year of his four-year contract and he has also drawn interest from multiple teams this season.

Savard comes with a $3.5 million salary cap hit and does not own any no-trade protection. Dvorak, however, has an eight-team no-trade list as part of his contract.