It’s time for another edition of NHL rumours. We’re less than a week away from the NHL trade deadline on Friday. Teams are going to have to decide if they’re going all-in or if they want to trade off assets. A number of teams already know the road ahead of them. However, others are still trying to figure things out. One club that has to decide their next course is the Montreal Canadiens. This editon of NHL rumours deals with a veteran forward that could be on the move.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Montreal Canadiens Could Be Moved at Deadline
Rumour: On the latest edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger offered updates on Canadiens forward Joel Armia. His name along with Jake Evans have been the subject of trade talks.
Analysis: Armia, Evans, Christian Dvorak and David Savard are all unrestricted free agents and have been mentioned in previous editions of NHL rumours. Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes has some tough choices ahead of him.
The Habs are five points out of a Stanley Cup Playoff spot as of Saturday’s games. Hughes knows he can probably get some decent returns for these players. However, there’s a worry that the Canadiens could be waving the white flag on the season prematurely.
Montreal has taken a step forward this season, but the chance to stockpile assets is pretty tempting. The Canadiens have some desirable players that contending teams would love to have.
We focus on Armia, who is a good defensive forward and an adept penalty killer. He could be a good addition to the bottom-half of any lineup. Contending teams needing that type of player may have to pony up to acquire the Finnish veteran.
What It Means
LeBrun mentioned that the Canadiens will only entertain serious offers for Armia and Evans. Montreal has plenty of picks and young players and doesn’t need to make a deal for the sake of making a deal.
According to LeBrun, a number of teams have checked in either Evans or Armia. The TSN insider mentioned the Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils are among the teams that have asked about one or both of the players.
Dreger said it would make sense that the Jets would ask about Armia, who played there for three seasons. The Jets are familiar with him and know his game.
The 31-year-old could be a strong addition to the bottom-six and he could also slide into the top-half of the lineup if an injury occurs. Winnipeg General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is likely interested in depth pieces according to Dreger. He doesn’t want to upset the team’s balance too much that has made the Jets a top contender.
Getting Armia, Evans or both would help out to bottom-half of the roster in Winnipeg. However, it’s going to have to be the right deal in order to make something happen.
Main photo by: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
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