Canadiens: Thanksgiving, Xavier Bourgault and the Oilers’ first pick

We’re currently a month (and a bit) away from Christmas. More precisely, it’s Thanksgiving in the United States. Happy holidays to those who celebrate… and good football to those who don’t.

Good hockey to all, but the NHL has chosen, for the second time in three days, not to present any games today.

But hey. My point is that for hockey fans, American Thanksgiving is synonymous with a pivotal date. At least, that’s what people who’ve worked in the NHL say.

Why is that? Because the sample size is large enough to say that teams that are already far enough behind in the standings won’t be able to climb their way back into the playoffs. It’s not 100% true, but it often applies.

Of course, we’re not saying that the top eight teams in each association as of today are guaranteed to make the playoffs. If a club knocks on the door of the playoffs in November, it has a chance.

But if a team is already a long way off, its chances of qualifying are slim. This is particularly true of the Blue Jackets, for example.

As you can see, the Montreal Canadiens are three points out of the playoffs. So it’s too early to throw in the towel, even if we can see that things aren’t getting any better.

Even so, there are some good teams to overtake in order to climb the standings. It won’t be easy.

That’s why, more and more, we’re talking about trading players elsewhere around the deadline. And in the case of goalkeepers, there’s even talk of doing so soon. #Edmonton

Obviously, if we go by Thanksgiving logic, it’s too late for the Oilers… but in reality, the talented Alberta club can’t throw in the towel in November. It wouldn’t pass.

But on this American holiday, Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton can try to position themselves so that it’s the Oilers, a club in a precarious position, who have to pay more than their fair share to get out of the hole.

Remember: nobody’s going to help the Oilers without getting something out of it.

Earlier this week, Darren Dreger raised the (very hypothetical, but still) possibility of the Canadiens and Oilers making a very big deal. #Blockbuster

Will it definitely happen? Not necessarily, no.

But given the CH’s veterans, the Oilers’ needs and the goaltending situation, there’s a way for the two teams to work something out.

On this subject, Brian Wilde (Global News) made some headway in his column by mentioning a few names that could be of interest to the Oilers. Could Sean Monahan or David Savard, with a goalie, go to Alberta? And what about Josh Anderson?

The interesting thing about all this is that the Oilers have some interesting assets to dance around. If the CH is willing to help the Oilers with their goaltending situation and give them an interesting skater, there are Xavier Bourgault and others who may be in the CH’s sights.

But there’s also the club’s first choice. And Edmonton may not have a high draft pick…

For a Canadiens with only one player in the NHL’s top 50 young players/ prospects under 24 (or two, depending on how you tell the story), getting another first-round pick could be a great asset, no?

It’s a thoughtful one… and with the cap going up, who knows how much the Oilers could help the CH help them.

In gusto

– Tough break.

– An addition to the CH.

– Patrik Laine absent from training.

– No details on Corey Perry’s absence.

– There it is…