Pierre LeBrun: “The Canadiens would make a deal today if they could”.

Over the past few days, we’ve been hearing a lot about the Habs in transaction rumours. We’re not necessarily talking about specific names, but we hear that the club is looking for reinforcements.

A top-4 right-handed defenseman, a forward with flair: ~~the doctor’s~~ insiders are prescribing a bit of everything to the Canadiens at the moment.

We can sense that the loss to the Rangers last Tuesday has set things on fire… and last night’s humiliating loss to the Kraken may just set things off again.

On the Radar podcast (BPM Sports), Pierre LeBrun talked a bit about the Habs’ situation regarding the trade market… and according to him, the club isn’t ruling out any solution: it’s doing its homework without limiting itself to any particular type of player.

What’s particularly interesting, though, is this sentence:

The Canadiens would make a deal today if they could. – Pierre LeBrun

What is Kent Hughes currently looking for on the trade market? A little bit of everything, says @PierreVLeBrun!
The new episode of Radar is available right here https://t.co/3Gdkf zE5s7@Anthodezo #RADAR #CH pic.twitter.com/fc4f9R4DN5

– commissionathletique (@Commissionathl) October 30, 2024

What LeBrun explains, however, is that the Habs’ salary picture changes things. Unlike the off-season, when it becomes easier to play with salaries, it’s much harder to navigate all that during the season.

It’s harder for the Habs, but it’s harder for other teams too.

But clearly, listening to the insider, you can sense that Kent Hughes would like to get his hands on some reinforcements… but not at any price. The recent heavy defeats haven’t changed the management’s plan, and they don’t want to sacrifice their long-term plan for a temporary solution.

Although, given the number of picks the Canadiens have at their disposal, trading one or two of them wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, in my opinion. Without being all-in, there are some gaping holes in this team right now, and giving away a few picks to plug the gaps is a defensible avenue.

Will it be a forward? A defenseman? A goalie? The Habs don’t seem to have a clear answer at the moment. That said, they’re doing their homework… and they’ll be ready if an opportunity presents itself.

We’ll see if he finds his dance partner soon.

Overtime

– We told you about it several weeks ago.

The decision to keep Kapanen in Montreal doesn’t have the consequences you think https://t.co/yw1xJrgI3N

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) October 30, 2024

– Nice read.

In an environment where everything is settled by millions of dollars, it’s refreshing to hear Hendrix Lapierre talk about his down-to-earth choices. From Washington, meet the Capitals’ young forwardhttps://t.co/Kr2T85OMUx

– Guillaume Lefrançois (@glefrancoisLP) October 30, 2024