According to Charlie Lajoie of TVA SPORTS, the Montreal Canadiens might be getting ready to make a pretty big trade.
According to Lajoie, general manager Marc Bergevin might be setting the table for a move that would come once the Canadiens sign recently acquired defenseman Joel Edmundson. The Habs and Edmundson are trying to hammer out the terms of a new extension and while it’s not officially done yet, could be soon. Once completed, the Canadiens might choose to move a different defenseman for help at forward.
Lajoie speculates that defenseman could be Ben Chiarot.
“Could Chiarot be one of the lambs sacrificed to get his hands on a big power forward who can score goals?” asked Lajoie. He added that the target might be Patrik Laine out of Winnipeg.
“I am not proposing Chiarot against Laine, one against the other,” he said. We’re not going crazy. It would be part of a “package”. How big of a package are we talking about here?
This Deal Could Make Sense… Maybe
Lajoie didn’t go into details about what that trade might look like or who else would be included, but it does make you wonder. Laine is a forward who has the potential to score 40-50 goals in any given season. He would certainly help the Canadiens and would look good alongside one of their blossoming centers. But, he’s got one season left on a deal that will pay him $6.75 million and he’s not always viewed as the most dedicated of Jets players.
Meanwhile, Chiarot was part of the Jets team for parts of seven seasons, so the team knows him well. He is on a reasonable deal at $3.5 million for two more seasons and he proved to be a solid acquisition on the free agency market for general manager Marc Bergevin. He finished second on the Canadiens with 1,596:13 of total ice time and third with an average of 23:08. He was also second on the team in penalty kill minutes behind Shea Weber.
What would the pieces of a trade be? What else might the Canadiens have to throw into the deal to make it work?
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hellloooooooo123456
September 16, 2020 at 7:11 pm
Chiarot, our first in 2021 and a prospect.
Brent Potvin
September 16, 2020 at 7:52 pm
Chiarot, Domi and a first
Peter Stone
September 17, 2020 at 7:32 am
Drouin and Domi
Mike
September 17, 2020 at 10:48 am
I seriously doubt that Lajoie is even close. Chariot is a bargain hence no way the Habs will let him go in a package. For Laine, Winnipeg needs a second line center hence either Danault or Domi (probably Danault) with a D such as Mete or Kulak, followed by a prospect like Cale Fleury and a decent or two, draft picks is more than enough to seal the deal.
Question is, is Montreal ready to pay big dollars for Laine on his next contract? Winnipeg will not…that’s for sure.