Deadline: “No one expects to leave for the Canadiens.”

Marc-Olivier Cook
Deadline: “No one expects to leave for the Canadiens.”
Credit: Capture d'écran / X

When the trade deadline approaches in the National League, it can be stressful for some players.

Some guys know it, after all. They are aware that their names are being mentioned in certain rumors and they know that they could be traded at any moment.

Except that this year, in Montreal, it's different. The Canadiens want to improve, but there aren't many players (except maybe Laine, for example) who are in danger at the time of writing.

That's why there aren't really any distractions in the locker room right now. Renaud Lavoie explained it well in his column on the BPM Sports radio show: no one expects to leave the Canadiens at this point.

That may explain why Nick Suzuki isn't expecting a big deadline from his club. But at the same time, it explains why there's a good vibe within the group.

It's different because in recent years, that wasn't necessarily the case in the city.

Even last year, when the Canadiens were just a few points away from a playoff spot, there was talk of the possibility of seeing some guys leave. David Savard, Mike Matheson, Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher…

In the end, Kent Hughes decided not to do anything because his players wanted the club to remain intact. The guys wanted a chance to prove themselves, and that's exactly what happened in the final stretch of the season as well.
That said, the fact that no players are stressed out right now… that's good news in a way. After all, there are no major distractions in the locker room. The guys have the opportunity to focus on their performance, and that helps the club stay calmer at times like this as well. Because it's true that it must be stressful when that's not the case. And that's when it can have an impact on a club's performance on the ice…


In a nutshell

– Things are happening!

– Ouch…

– Wow!

— News in MLB.

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