BY DEREK CARSON – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
What a difference a year makes. Last year at the trade deadline, the Montreal Canadiens were last place in the East; this year they’re first in their division and are looking for a long playoff run.
What better way to ensure a playoff victory than by adding an impact player at the deadline?
The Habs already made a big trade this season when they traded Erik Cole for Michael Ryder and a pick. Is Marc Bergevin done?
The Habs have less than $4 million in cap space so if they do make a move, it will either be for a cheap rental player or a move that would see a roster player (or salary or any such thing as the new rules allow) going the other way.
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The Habs also have three second round picks in 2013, which they could use to package with recently waived defencemen Tomas Kaberle to make a trade, or use one of the picks on its own to get a rental player.
Bergevin has only been the GM for the Habs for less than a year, but already we can guess what kind of move he’ll make – a prudent one. Bergevin has a (very short) history of making well-thought out decisions. He didn’t blink during PK Subban’s contract negotiations and signed him to a great deal; he brought in a great coach and management team; he drafted a great player in Alex Galchenyuk with the third overall pick at the 2012 draft; and he signed free agents Colby Armstrong and Brandon Prust to very reasonable contracts.
My prediction: Bergevin will do what he can to acquire Jason Pominville from the Buffalo Sabres. So long as Pominville does not put the Habs as one of the eight teams on his “no-trade” list, I think it behooves Bergevin to try and make that deal.
Pominville is a really good player (10 goals and 13 assists in 33 games this season) with a year left on his contract at a reasonable $5.3 million. He’s a Francophone, which we know is important for Montreal, and he’s a Sens killer, which could be important if the Habs finally face the Sens in the playoffs this year.
It wouldn’t take much maneuvering to fit Pominville’s cap hit into the team’s salary structure and he would provide added offensive power to Montreal, which will be important no matter who they face in the playoffs, but especially if they face the Boston Bruins, a team that upgraded their offence by acquiring Jaromir Jagr on Tuesday.
What would it take to get Pominville? I would think two second round picks and a prospect. That may seem like a lot, but remember, the Habs have three second round picks to throw around and Pominville got 73 points last year. He’s a legitimate first line player.
Whatever happens, it will be something of a statement by Marc Bergevin on how he operates and what we can expect from him in the future. I’m looking forward to it.