Trade for Mason McTavish: The Habs’ advantage that other teams don’t have

Marc-Olivier Cook
Trade for Mason McTavish: The Habs’ advantage that other teams don’t have
Credit: Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images

The Montreal Canadiens don't have a roster worthy of a Stanley Cup champion.

We have to face the facts, after all.

When you don't know who to put at center on the second line for a playoff game, it's because you have a problem with your team's top six. And that problem, as we know, isn't new.

Kent Hughes tried to acquire a player who could help in that area, but he didn't manage to see his mission through to the end.

And that's why we can expect a major trade this summer in Montreal. That, too, isn't exactly a secret…

There will be players available all across the NHL. Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Elias Pettersson… these names are likely to be making headlines in the various trade rumors over the next few weeks. But we also need to talk about Mason McTavish, who is coming off another relatively unremarkable season. 

The guys from the Processus podcast (Marco D'Amico, Anthony Marcotte, and Martin Therriault) were just talking about McTavish, and D'Amico made a good point: the Canadiens might have one more asset than other teams to leverage in a trade with the Ducks for McTavish.

And that ace up their sleeve is… Oliver Kapanen.

Here are the facts.

1. According to Marco D'Amico, the Ducks would want a player (preferably a center) in return for McTavish who can play in the NHL right now. Oliver Kapanen fits that description…

2. There aren't a million teams in the NHL that have the luxury of trading a young player like Oliver Kapanen. The Habs have depth, and there are young forwards coming up soon as well…

3. As a rookie, Oliver Kapanen scored a total of 22 goals. That's no small feat. And first-year players who score 22 goals while also being very responsible defensively aren't exactly a dime a dozen in the NHL…

Obviously, the Canadiens would need to add something to their offer to pry McTavish away from Anaheim. We're still talking about a former third overall pick… but one who's struggled for the past two years and seems, more than ever, to need a change of scenery.

But a McTavish/Kapanen swap (and more) could be appealing to a team like the Ducks. Kapanen is young and would fit well into the Ducks' current core…

And let's not forget that this isn't the first time the McTavish situation has come up in Montreal either.

It seems like this just won't die down…


In a nutshell

– Canadiens win!

– He has to.

– Let's go!

– Heads up:

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