Rumor: Canadiens latest move motivated by potential trade.

The Montreal Canadiens have made a relatively minor adjustment to their roster this morning, but one National Hockey League insider believes there may be more than meets the eye behind the move.

The Canadiens officially announced on Saturday morning that they were sending 19 year old forward Filip Mesar back to the Ontario Hockey League to rejoin his team, the Kitchener Rangers, and in a corresponding move have called up veteran forward Joel Armia. Mesar, the 26th overall pick at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, will continue developing in the OHL but it is the status of the 20 year old Armia that appears to be in question.

It is no secret that the Canadiens worked diligently this summer in an effort to find a trade partner to take on Armia's contract, a 4 year deal that carries an average annual value and cap hit of $3.4 million per season and is another regrettable deal left behind by former general manager Marc Bergevin, but thus far they have found no suitors.

According to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta however it would appear as though trade talk around Armia has picked up again this week and this may be a case of the Canadiens trying to showcase the veteran forward to potential suitors. Armia's deal is not only pricey but it also has one more year remaining beyond this season, so it's hard to imagine anyone taking on his contract without getting an additional return in the deal or without sending another bad contract back the way of the Canadiens.

Stay tuned for more on this developing story.