Early-season trade coming in Montreal?

On Tuesday night, the Montreal Canadiens showed off golaie Cayden Primeau in a game against the New Jersey Devils. It quickly prompted speculation that the goalie could be on the move, especially since the Habs currently have three goalies in the NHL.

Boston Hockey Now’s Jimmy Murphy believes the Canadiens could make notable moves leading up to the American Thanksgiving on Nov. 23. While he adds that the Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets could also proceed to some trades, Habs general manager Kent Hughes could seek early-season deal to to acquire future assets for his rebuilding team. Fans are aware how creative Hughes can get on the trade market, and could manage to find a partner to move Primeau in the near future. 

According to one of Murphy’s sources, the Canadiens have been listening to offers for Primeau since they have three goalies in Primeau, Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault to start the season. They especially don’t want to risk losing Primeau by placing him on waivers if ever they attempt to send him down to the Laval Rocket. The same source believes the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers could be interested in the young netminder.

However if Hughes is reluctant to move Primeau, who can be great insurance in case of an injury in net, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently wondered if forward Joel Armia could become trade bait in the coming weeks.

The issue here however is that Armia carries an average annual value of $3.4 million through 2024-25 and way too many teams across the league are cap-strapped at the moment. If Hughes is willing to retain some salary to move him, Armia could be the one on the move in this rumoured early-season trade in Montreal.

This will be something to keep an eye on as the first month of the 2023-24 season comes to an end...

Recommended articles:

• Former NHL Enforcer joins brain study in honor of Bob Probert.
• Rumor: Canadiens latest move motivated by potential trade.
• Adult model mocks the height of Canadiens's Cole Caufield
• Bedard denies a Canadiens fan of an autograph
• Canadiens provide a terrible update on Kirby Dach.