NHL Trade Buzz: NHL trade rumors are getting louder once more, and among the vocal teams are the Montreal Canadiens and the Anaheim Ducks. The phrases Montreal Canadiens trades and Pavel Mintyukov’s future have become more relevant after the Canadiens’ impressive start to the season gradually lost its charm and turned into a long losing streak.
That stretch of defeats has put Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes under a microscope as the situation worsens, with their calls to be decisive or patient amid rising pressure. The misfortunes of the Montréal team were compounded by the injuries of Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, and Kirby Dach. The injuries of the key players have caused the media, like TVA Sports and The Athletic, to speculate that the Canadiens are candidates for players such as Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, Nazem Kadri, and Blake Coleman, who have been actively discussed in rumor circles.
Each of the scenarios would require negotiation and compromise.
However, the management is clearly determined to make only smart, long-term decisions. The city of Montreal is in need of reinforcements, but only if not at the cost of future stability. Hence, they are very selective in their market exploration and do not let the rough patch affect their decision-making.
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Elliotte Friedman has further complicated the situation by indicating that Pavel Mintyukov might think about leaving if he does not get more playing time.
The twenty-year-old rear guard, drafted as the number 10 overall player in the 2022 NHL entry draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, has been out of action for the past trios games and has now been put at a lower rank than Jackson LaCombe, Olen Zellweger, and Ian Moore in the Anaheim roster.
Friedman pointed out that GM Pat Verbeek is not hurrying but still expects a young, NHL-ready player if a trade happens, thus making this a storyline that will be closely followed by many teams. Montreal is in search of steady performance, whereas Anaheim is dealing with a discontented young player.
