By Jared Book, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine
MONTREAL, QC – Tomorrow is the National Hockey League’s trade deadline. That means fans will be clamoring for a deal by GM Marc Bergevin only to be disappointed when they swap a minor league defenceman for a minor league goaltender and say they are done for the day.
Calls for trades have intensified since the Boston Bruins put their hands on Jaromir Jagr from the Dallas Stars for very little after the Canadiens were rumoured to be interested in acquiring the Czech forward.
This has to be the thousandth time that Montreal was connected to Jagr only to see him go elsewhere. Most of the time it was when he was a free agent and saying he wanted to come. I think he’s just never coming to Montreal, folks.
There is absolutely no need for a move to be made. Don’t know if you’ve noticed but this team is pretty good as it stands. Oh, and there is a top-six forward named Rene Bourque who may be able to provide a little bump come playoff time, health permitting of course and with a concussion you just never know. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins are veteran teams. Every year that passes, they are closer to their contending window closing. They are trying to win the Stanley Cup this year, and keep it going. The Montreal Canadiens are not in that mode just yet. They are a year removed from finishing last in the conference. They have a lineup in which most of its core will be here for several years, and their best players are almost all on the right side of 30. This is a team that will expect to be at the top for a long time and it is starting now.
Teams need to learn to lose in the playoffs before they win, and this Montreal team will probably not win the Stanley Cup this season. Why trade a draft pick or prospect or both for 13 games and some playoff games of a player who won’t be back here next year? What will that add? In my opinion, everything the Canadiens do this year is gravy. No one expected them to win the division or finish in the top half of the playoff picture but they may just do both of those things. There is no urgency in Montreal. They are playing with house money. Save your draft picks and prospects for next year or the year after.
Marc Bergevin is a patient guy. He waited out P.K. Subban. He is also methodical. Trading a king’s ransom for Ryane Clowe or Jaromir Jagr is neither of those things. Montreal has some draft picks that no team doing as well as they are doing should have. Calgary and Nashville’s second round picks are not trade bait. They are gold to Trevor Timmins. Sure, you could trade draft picks and prospects right now. Or you could use those picks right, and use the prospects to get players when there is a better market. It is a seller’s market and they aren’t selling very good things. Why rush?
Let the Bruins and the Penguins stock up on the Brenden Morrow‘s, Jarome Iginla‘s and Jaromir Jagr’s. Let them trade away prospects and draft picks. Meanwhile, Montreal will sit back, stock up their system even more and wait for their good, young players to become great, young players and for their great, young players to become the class of the National Hockey League. A lot of that is already happening. There is no need to panic. Waiting sucks, yes. A lot of people are hoping for a big day in tomorrow’s Trade Deadline, including the people working on covering it. A lot of fans are hoping for the Canadiens to make a big splash. I’d rather not. It’s not the most exciting approach to be sure, but good things happen to those who wait.