Fan Focus | NHL, Montreal Canadiens, Habs, Jeff Gorton, Brendan Gallagher, Carey Price, Jake Allen, Jonathan Drouin, Ben Chiarot

ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA — With the Canadiens’ season paused the past few weeks, Habs fans have had an opportunity to speculate about what will unfold in the coming months. It’s unknown whether Executive VP of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton will guide the organization through a full rebuild or if it will be a brief reset. Whatever the path, we expect that the Canadiens will be sellers at the trade deadline.

Calculating the risks and rewards of the trade process takes considerable savvy, but that’s where the experience of Gorton should pay off handsomely for the Canadiens. If you like these kinds of games of chance, you might want to check out bonus.ca.

Here are my personal thoughts on who could find themselves on the Habs trade block.

Players to Consider

Brendan Gallagher

Dubbed the heart and soul of the Canadiens by fans, the 5-foot-9-inch winger could be a solid addition to a playoff bound team. Brendan Gallagher is fearless, goes to the net and has a knack for getting under the skin of the opposition.

Gallagher has had injury concerns and his production has dropped steadily particularly in the playoffs. The 29-year-old is in the first season of a six-year deal worth $6.5 million per year. His contract will make him tough for Gorton to move unless he is willing to retain salary.

Jonathan Drouin

Jonathan Drouin, is a skilled player, who has never be able to live up to his lofty third overall selection in 2013 just behind Nathan MacKinnon and Aleksander Barkov. While the two players ahead of him have topped 90 points, Drouin’s best season was a 53-point campaign. The 26-year-old will always be tied to Mikhail Sergachev, often cited as the worst trade of Marc Bergevin‘s tenure with the Canadiens.

Drouin’s inconsistent play and steep contract will make him a challenge for Gorton to trade. Select teams looking to add skill to their lineup may be interested.

Carey Price / Jake Allen

There is no question that Carey Price carried the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final. His performance in the 2020-21 playoffs was outstanding and is the reason that Price remains the most feared goaltender to opposition players in a big game. Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong confirmed that they were holding a place on the Olympic roster for Price before the NHL decided to pull the plug.

Adding Price to a playoff bound roster would provide an immediate boost of confidence to the players on the team. But fitting Price in the salary structure would be a challenge for an organization. That’s why, if a trade for Price will ever be consummated, it will likely happen in the off-season.

It’s clear that Jake Allen is no longer a number one goaltender in the NHL. But he can help a team looking to shore up their goaltending depth in a run to the playoffs. Allen is at his best spelling the team’s starter so that they can be fresh when the regular season ends.

Ben Chiarot

There is no doubt that Ben Chiarot will be traded before the deadline. He has been playing solid hockey and this season, has been the Canadiens best defenceman. Chiarot is a pending free agent and seems to save his best performances for the playoffs. This should place the 30-year-old in high demand before the trade deadline.

Fellow defenceman Brett Kulak is surely another player who is a lock to be traded before the deadline.

Moving Forward

Gorton has both a challenge and an opportunity to reshape the Canadiens roster before the March 21st deadline. Ridding the team of bad contracts while stockpiling assets and increasing cap flexibility have to be a priority.