Insider: Canadiens Should Pivot This Season, Change Trade Talks

The Montreal Canadiens’ season has gone off the rails so quickly that it might be time to consider an uncomfortable reality: it’s probably already lost. According to Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, the Canadiens are currently in last place in the NHL, and they look deflated. With playoff hopes fading, Friedman suggests it may be smarter to focus on the future rather than attempting a desperate turnaround that can’t possibly pay off at this point.

“If you’re a Montreal Canadiens fan, you might not like what I’m about to say,” Friedman started. He then went on to say that what he’s seeing is not good and it might already be time for the Canadiens to start thinking about next season. Noting that the team seems so dejected after every loss, he mentioned landing James Hagens in the upcoming draft, (a highly touted prospect) as a key reason why the Canadiens should consider tanking. “You have to hurt for Hagens,” he added, implying that aiming for a top draft pick might be the best strategy.

Canadiens Are Exploring Trade Market, But Should They Switch Priorities?

The Canadiens have explored options to add a gritty forward and blue-line help, but Friedman argued that these moves would only provide a temporary fix. “The Canadiens are not one big trade away,” he explained. Any deal would likely only lift them from the league’s basement to somewhere like 26th or 27th place. Even though fans don’t want to see the Canadiens lose all the time, Friedman didn’t see the point in finishing low, but not low enough to get the best draft pick.

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Friedman doesn’t believe the season would be a total loss. He argued that Montreal could use this season to focus on teaching its young core the right lessons. Developing young players and teaching everyone how to play the right way in a system the team believes in could pay off long-term. In the meantime, get the best pick you can, and as Friedman put it, “Next year you could have a high pick coming, you could have Ivan Demidov coming, and all of a sudden things could start to look a little rosier.”

Ultimately, if this season is a lost cause, the Canadiens might be better off embracing it. Sell off pieces that won’t be here when the team is finally good and don’t fool around trying to make something of this season that it’s not.

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