“If I were the Habs GM, I’d trade a defenseman for Jimmy Snuggerud”

The defenseman is having major problems with his left ankle, and we’ll know in September whether he’ll be able to play next season.

In terms of payroll, this would help the club with the LTIR… but he’s still a regular defenseman who could miss the entire coming season.

Torey Krug has been diagnosed with pre-arthritic changes in his left ankle and will be re-evaluated in 6-8 weeks.

If surgery is necessary, Krug would miss the entire 2024-25 season. #stlblues

DETAILS https://t.co/PFUQxTekmw

– St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) July 16, 2024

In doing so, the Blues suddenly need help on the blue line. The club may have signed Ryan Suter, but it’s clear that he’s no longer the defenseman he once was.

And in a recent episode of The Sick Podcast – The Eye Test, Pierre McGuire discussed the possibility of the Habs helping the Blues in this regard. And if that were to happen, he already has an idea of the player the Habs should target:

If I were GM of the Habs, I’d trade a defenseman for Jimmy Snuggerud. – Pierre McGuire

Could the #stlblues and the #GoHabsGo make good trade partners?

Pierre McGuire and @MurphysLaw74 discuss an interesting player who could be involved if a deal were to go down

Full pod
Watch: https://t.co/nSNAVuzn0n
Listen: https://t.co/S3hUfiVtYv#thesickpodcast pic.twitter.com/9UGWRCfPw4

– The Sick Podcast – The Eye Test (@sickpodnhl) July 17, 2024

McGuire doesn’t want to trade one defenseman for several assets: he wants to go for the big fish in Snuggerud, a 20-year-old forward who has dominated the NCAA for the past two years and is one of the NHL’s brightest attacking prospects.

In fact, Snuggerud really should be seen in the same mold as Rutger McGroarty, another name that has been circulating in Montreal, in terms of quality. In both cases, we’re talking about prospects who have the potential to be a solid top-6 forward for the team in the long term.

Remember that last April, Snuggerud was expected to make the jump to the pros, but he surprised many by returning to the NCAA for another year. The Blues don’t seem too worried about it publicly, but it does raise questions.

Obviously, the Habs would have to pay a hefty price for a player like Snuggerud. A defenseman like Jordan Harris won’t be enough: it’ll probably take one of the team’s good defensemen.

If the Blues, who are looking for right-handed defensemen, see Logan Mailloux as an NHL player as early as 2024-25, that could be a good start… if the Habs are willing to give him up for Snuggerud.

Overtime

– Nice read.

Which NHL team in the “rebuild class” will be competitive first and who will be the first to win the Cup?@eduhatschek answers that question, if something should be done to address violent contact to the head in the NHL and more in his latest mailbaghttps://t.co/eac5S9dJpG

– The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) July 17, 2024

– There are many who would be intimidated by Zdeno Chara, we agree.

Jake DeBrusk played with many NHL legends and veterans in his eight years with the Bruins, but only one player intimidated the winger. https://t.co/GW8GnyYSag

– NESN (@NESN) July 18, 2024