Canadiens Shopping For Help, Ducks’ Mintyukov Could Seek A Trade
After going 10-3-2 in their first 15
games, the Montreal Canadiens are 0-4-1 in their last five.
That has sparked speculation over what moves management might make to
reverse its fortunes.
Injuries to forwards Patrik Laine, Alex
Newhook and Kirby Dach have some pundits musing over which players
they’ll target in the trade market as potential replacements.
Nashville Predators forwards Steven Stamkos and Ryan O’Reilly have
been mentioned as options.
TVA Sports reported the Predators had
two scouts at Thursday’s game between the Canadiens and Washington
Capitals. They don’t play either club until later in the New Year.
The Hockey News’ Karine Hains suggested O’Reilly as a trade target for Montreal. Although he lacks a no-trade or no-move clause in his contract, the Predators treated him as if he did last season. Hains noted the center is still producing and excels at faceoffs, but Nashville trading him wouldn’t send a great message to its room.
According to Pierre LeBrun of The
Athletic, the Canadiens were among the suitors for David Kampf before
the former Toronto Maple Leafs center signed with the Vancouver
Canucks last Saturday.
LeBrun suggested Nazem Kadri of the
Calgary Flames would be a good fit with the Canadiens. He also felt
that they might have an eye on Flames winger Blake Coleman. LeBrun
mentioned the Habs’ interest in St. Louis Blues right winger Jordan Kyrou
earlier this summer before his no-trade clause kicked in on July 1.
However, LeBrun indicated that the
management duo of Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes isn’t known for making
rash decisions. He doesn’t see them making any panic moves because
they know that they’re not Stanley Cup contenders yet. LeBrun
believes any decision they make must be able to help the team now and
in the future.
The Canadiens are facing the same issue
as other injury-battered teams currently shopping for depth in the
trade market: there are few sellers right now, and they’re setting
high prices for their tradeable assets.
Turning to the Anaheim Ducks, Elliotte
Friedman mentioned that Pavel Mintyukov would like to be moved
if he’s not going to play. The 21-year-old defenseman
has seen mostly bottom-third minutes this season and was a healthy
scratch in their last three games.
Mintyukov was chosen 10th overall by
the Ducks in the 2022 NHL draft. The promising puck-moving defenseman
had 28 points in 63 games during his 2023-24 rookie campaign.
However, Friedman observed that he’s fallen behind Jackson LaCombe,
Olen Zellweger, and Ian Moore on their depth chart.
Friedman stated that Ducks GM Pat
Verbeek isn’t in a rush to move Mintyukov, but he believes this
situation could be worth monitoring. If Verbeek peddles him, he’ll
likely want a young NHL player in return.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
