The Montreal Canadiens are still rebuilding, they are also not a playoff-caliber team this season. Because of this, they will be sellers. But that doesn’t mean that general manager (GM) Kent Hughes can’t also go shopping to fill any immediate needs. As the Canadiens move out roster players to help improve the asset holdings in draft picks and prospects, there will be a need to fill those openings in Montreal, even temporarily, with NHL-caliber players.
With the forward group already thinned out due to season-ending injuries to Kirby Dach and Christian Dvorak, Montreal could use these openings to acquire some NHL players that have flown under the radar and could be good short to mid-term additions to a roster in desperate need of additional scoring. By shopping among the roster of other sellers, Hughes could find another path to speed up his rebuild or at least continue to properly support his young core.
Canadiens Should Avoid Internal Options
For now, the Canadiens should avoid internal options for these top six roles. Yes, Sean Monahan could be held onto as an “own rental”. Yes, he also would be ideally suited to remain in his current role, but his trade value, age, desire to play for a Stanley Cup, and promises made by Hughes to move him means that he is going to be traded.
Perhaps part of the return is an NHL player, but that is another trap to avoid to maximize the trade return. If the player is a cap dump, that could provide Hughes the best of both worlds, a maximum return and a player for the short term that can be flipped in the future.
Related: Canadiens at Halfway Mark: Focus on the Process
Joshua Roy has been showing some flashes of what is to become a very good NHL player, someone that can fill a top-six role someday. With each shift, he looks visibly more comfortable with the speed and physicality of NHL play, processing the developing plays a little quicker each time. He has excellent playmaking instincts and plays a possession style that is ideally suited to today’s NHL.
However, he still needs time in the American Hockey League (AHL) and will return to Laval once his emergency recall is completed. Because of all the injuries, calling up forwards from the AHL would only hurt their playoff hopes, and in turn, take away quality development opportunities for the Habs’ prospects.
Canadiens Could Also Be Buyers
While there could be some internal options to fill a top-six or top-nine role on the Canadiens roster, it isn’t the ideal situation for the development of some prospects, like Roy. This opens up an option to think a little outside the box and look for options outside the organization. A decision to make a move like this isn’t for something to just fill the roster this season, it is looking ahead two, even three seasons. It is also not something to be done unless the player can check specific boxes of need for the franchise, such as size and shooting skill, among others. There is a cost to these players in assets, but there is also a cost in the final draft placement for 2024.
Teams to be targeted for Hughes to buy from are likely below Montreal in the standings and moving out NHL talent could ensure they remain there, leaving Hughes to pick in the latter half of the top 10. A later top 10 pick is still a top 10 pick, with it, the Canadiens can add a scoring forward to fill a need. But that player is a few years away. Between now and then Montreal needs some help at forward, and going shopping among other sellers can bring back an under-the-radar player with potential.
Alexei Toropchenko – Left/Right Wing – St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues forward, Alexei Toropchenko, is a big winger (6-foot-6, 223 pounds) who loves to play in the slot and be a net-front nightmare for defencemen. He plays a prototypical power forward style. Skating in straight lines, playing a heavy, physical game along the boards and a monster on the cycle in the offensive zone are some of his strengths. Another is his ability to gain and maintain puck possession. All of these skills could make him an excellent puck-retrieval specialist for smaller linemates. He is also a good skater with a strong work ethic. The 24-year-old is currently on a two-year contract paying him $1.25 million until the end of the 2024-25 season when he would become a restricted free agent (RFA) with arbitration rights.
At worst, Toropchenko can be an effective defensive forward who can play in all situations while also throwing hits and occasionally adding some offence. However, if he was given the right opportunity to thrive, such as top-six ice time with speedy forwards who can take advantage of the open ice he can generate with his physical play, he could reach his potential and become a quality offensive player. In a lineup like Montreal’s, he can play in the offensive system much like Josh Anderson does, as a straight-line rushing winger. He does have a good shot but he would be most effective when attacking the net, looking for rebounds or tip-ins, and just causing chaos in the offensive zone. While he hasn’t found his offensive touch in St. Louis having only scored six goals in 43 games, it would place him in the Canadiens’ top 10 goal scorers. The cost to acquire Toropchenko wouldn’t be outrageous either, likely a third-round pick or equivalent prospect.
Dmitri Voronkov – Center/Right Wing – Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are another team in transition, and dealing with some of the same issues Montreal is, but have the star power in the lineup with Johnny Gaudreau that the Canadiens still need. That said, trying to pry Dmitri Voroknov out of Ohio will take a very strong trade offer.
Like Toropschenko, Voroknov is a big-bodied (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) forward who can play a heavy, power forward style game. He can play a physical brand along the boards, on the cycle and in front of the net. However, he has more of a scoring touch than his fellow Russian mentioned above. He is also rawer in his defensive game, and because of that, is less trusted to fill a penalty killing (PK) or matchup role. But for a player that would be added to play in a top-six role, a role on the PK is a low concern for the Canadiens.
The Blue Jackets signed Voronkov to a two-year, entry-level contract in May 2024 and the 23-year-old rookie has nine goals in 39 games. For much of that time, Columbus has used him at center, but a team willing or able to simplify the game for him, by placing him on the wing, especially on his strong side, the left, could take away the defensive responsibility of the position, removing the added burden he has at that position and simplifying the game for him. He is a good puck distributor, and that could only improve if placed on the left wing where he can be on the forehand to make those passes.
He can also shoot the puck rather well making him a good complementary offensive threat. Unlike other power forwards, he isn’t as much of a rush threat, instead, he best utilizes his size to help in transition, and in front of the net. While his ceiling seems to be as a third-line center, if placed on the wing, he could be a good second-line player. While for many, this name is flying under the radar, in Columbus, they hold the young forward in high esteem. The cost to acquire him would be high, far more than the casual fan would think is worth the price. But for the Blue Jackets, that price would need to be something that could help them more than him at center, as that is their biggest need, which he is currently filling.
Just because a team is selling assets doesn’t mean it can’t also be out there buying as well. The Canadiens do have needs, especially at forward. They have a plethora of assets in draft picks and prospects. They also have a GM in Hughes who isn’t the conventional GM Montreal fans have been accustomed to, he has been able to at the very least try some unorthodox moves to buy low on players. But buying players while also selling is something different, and could be a path to filling a need without Montreal losing anything in their overall depth of future assets.