The Canadiens were “very close” to adding a right-handed defenseman.

Vincent Larue
The Canadiens were “very close” to adding a right-handed defenseman.
Credit: Capture d'écran/YouTube

Friday was the NHL trade deadline… and the Canadiens ultimately did not make any trades. The Habs' general manager himself explained that he was working on an important deal in the final hours before the deadline, but that the trade ultimately fell through. He also mentioned that the same deal could be revisited during the summer. Since then, several observers have suggested that the famous mystery player is a forward.

But now, new information has shed a different light on the situation.

According to David Pagnotta on the show Hello Hockey, the Canadiens were extremely close to adding… a right-handed defenseman.

“The Canadiens were very, very close to acquiring a right-handed defenseman. They were at the end of the process… but the other team pulled out at the last minute.” – David Pagnotta

Of course, Pagnotta doesn't specify which player he's talking about. And that doesn't necessarily mean it's the same case Hughes mentioned.

But the information is still interesting, especially when you consider that the Canadiens have been looking for some time to add a right-handed defenseman to help the defensive corps.

The Habs rank 29th in the NHL in goals against since the Olympic break, with an average of 4.2 goals per game. And let's just say that things haven't been going very well for Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble for some time now.

And when you look at the names that were circulating on the market… some are still available.

These include Rasmus Ristolainen, Dougie Hamilton, Colton Parayko, and Zach Withcloud.

Four right-handed defensemen who have all been the subject of rumors in recent weeks… and who were not traded on Friday.

It's impossible to know if any of them were involved in discussions with Montreal.

But if the Habs were really “at the finish line” in a deal for a right-handed defenseman, it shows at least one thing: Kent Hughes was still looking for a solution to solidify that side of the blue line.

And if that file is still open… it could very well come back on the table this summer.


In a nutshell

– A good streak for Nikita Kucherov.

— Nice gesture by the Dallas Stars.

– Connor Bedard is in good company.

– Finally!

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