OPINION | Habs Should Consider Trading the Core, Including Carey Price

by Marc Lescoutre , Vodcast Producer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

MONTREAL, QC. — The Montreal Canadiens’ season is in shambles. After a hot start, the Habs didn’t just fall back down to reality, they plummeted into the realm of disaster. Fans are panicking, and the media are losing their minds.

In addition to the popular belief among Habs fans (and much of the media) that Michel Therrien needs to go (if you’ve seen the first two episodes of the Habs Banter Videocast that I co-host with All Habs Hockey Magazine Managing Editor Corey Desormeaux, you’ll know exactly how I feel about Therrien), other ideas I’ve seen thrown around on social media include calling up recent All-Star Game MVP John Scott, moving Galchenyuk to the first line, and trading Carey Price.

Wait, what?

That’s right. We’ve reached that stage of grief in a losing season in Habs land. Way beyond denial and anger, and just before acceptance, if that’s even possible for fans of Les Habitants.

The reasons for trading Price vary. Some argue he is too injury-prone and therefore never available when it counts, some believe he doesn’t deserve to put up with the current management and speculate he might one day ask for a trade, and others seem to believe it’s simply a matter of dealing the team’s most valuable player to help other areas of weakness on the squad.

It got me thinking, in the spirit of freaking out and losing my mind along with the rest of Planet Habs, what kind of return could Price fetch for the Habs? Sure he’s currently injured. But assuming he comes back at some point between now and the end of the season and proves he is healthy, why not consider what our most valuable asset could fetch in a deal?

(Aside, of course, from the fact that he’s the best goalie in the world, irreplaceable, and on a personal level, I’m a huge fan.)

There are a couple things to consider here.

What do the Habs need in return? Firstly, the Canadiens have been looking for a No. 1 centre for years (despite, as previously mentioned, potentially having one in-house with Alex Galchenyuk), and with Andrei Markov reaching the ripe old age of 37, and seemingly unable to keep up while playing top-pairing minutes, the Habs need to find someone who can step up to the plate and play tough minutes with PK Subban. A centre or defenceman fitting into either of those key roles seems like a reasonable start. We’re not looking to rebuild, we’re looking to win now.

Secondly, if the Habs did indeed trade Price, they need a goalie coming back. As we’ve seen this year, Condon has had some solid moments filling in, but between him and Ben Scrivens, as well as Fucale who is still developing in the minors, the Habs don’t have a viable NHL starter.

Here are five potential trade partners for the Canadiens.

New York Islanders –  Jaroslav Halak, Calvin de Haan, 2016 1st round draft pick 2016, Ryan Strome

Of course, Jaro Halak has to be in the mix. Halak has gone on to become a solid starter since leaving the Habs following an impressive run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010, putting up solid numbers including a 1.97 GAA in 2012, and 38 wins last season. Calvin de Haan is a young reliable  defensman who can skate well with strong puck-moving skills. Marc Bergevin is well known for his appreciation for defensive depth, and de Haan could be a viable alternative to Markov as Subban’s defensive partner. Strome, a highly touted forward with lots of upside, could help refill the coffers in a system lacking prospect depth down the middle.

Edmonton Oilers – Cam Talbot, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 2016 3rd round draft pick, 2017 2nd round draft pick.

Talbot has ideal size and is in his first year as an every-day starter. He has already earned a vote of confidence with a 3-year contract extension. Nugent-Hopkins could be the  first line  centre the Habs have been after for years, while injuries have been an issue, RNH has shown great ability since coming into the league, putting up a career-best 24 goals last season. There is one minor problem; money. This deal would put the Habs over the cap, so unless the Oilers were huge fans of, say, David Desharnais (wishful thinking), something more realistic would be former Galchenyuk junior teammate Nail Yakupov and another prospect or draft pick.

Chicago Blackhawks – Corey Crawford, Niklas Hjalmarsson, 1st round pick.

Montreal native Crawford has two Stanley Cups, and while he can have the odd rough game (or playoff series) he has for the most part been a solid contributor two two cup-winning teams. Having an above average shut-down player like Hjalmarsson come over with him to man the point with Subban would be pretty good return for Price, along with the first rounder. This deal has the same cap implications of the last one, but for the sake of keeping things fun, lets pretend the team is able to move some money around in the summer to make it work.

Minnesota Wild – Devan Dubnyk, Jonas Brodin, 2016 1st round pick, Joel Eriksson-Ek

Many of you will remember Dubnyk was actually a member of the Canadiens’ organization for a few months in 2014. Since then he has proven himself as a great starter with impressive size with the capability to take over games. Brodin is under contract through 2021 on a very reasonable cap hit, plays a solid two-way game and averages 20 minutes per night. He’s been named in trade rumours all season long.

San Jose Sharks – Martin Jones, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, 2016 2nd round draft pick, 2016 2nd round draft pick.

Jones has good size and athleticism. In his first year as a starter, he has helped the Sharks into 2nd place in the Pacific Division. Vlasic plays a solid defensive game, can move the puck well and play big minutes. Hi showing at the Olympics helped put him on the map, and could be a prototypical partner for Subban.

Bonus Trade: Two Subbans are better than one.

Boston Bruins – Patrice Bergeron, Malcolm Subban, 2016 1st round pick for Carey Price, David Desharnais

Alright. I’ll be honest. This is pure insanity, and feeds directly into my love of all things Subban, and my disdain for Desharnais, but imagine Malcolm Subban joining forces with his big brother in Montreal? Plus, as much as I detest the Bruins as much as the next Habs fan, Bergeron is an elite two-way centreman with a history of winning.

Okay. Fine. I’ll stop now.

I’m sure most of you have given up reading long before getting to this stage, and I’m essentially writing to myself at this point, but for those that stuck around…

I for one, despite everything stated above, have been a big Carey Price supporter since he came into the league. I thought the Habs made the right call when they moved on from Halak and gave the keys to Price for the foreseeable future. And quite frankly, no matter what, the Habs have a better chance to win with him than without him. Here’s hoping the Marc Bergevin can help improve the team around our key players, and make a real run for the cup within the next couple of years.

So what do you think? would you consider moving Price if an offer blew your mind? What you make a deal for you? Do you think Marc Bergevin would even entertain such an idea? Should I stick to video casting? Comment below or tweet me .

Have any questions or ideas of what you would like heard discussed on Habs Banter? Tweet at Corey and I and we’ll answer viewer questions on this week’s show.