1 player Canadiens must trade before 2026 NHL Trade Deadline

The Montreal Canadiens are firmly in the Stanley Cup Playoff race at this time. Montreal entered the Olympic break sitting tied for second on points with the Detroit Red Wings for second in the Atlantic Division. However, unlike Detroit, the Habs will have only three games before the NHL Trade Deadline to improve their standing.

In any event, the Canadiens look to be buyers for the first time in a while. Montreal made the playoffs last year, but that was due to a late-season surge. The Habs are a legitimate postseason contender this year, though. And that could lead them to make some moves before March 6th.

There is one major caveat to this, though. Montreal has little in the way of cap space to work with. In fact, only the Edmonton Oilers have less cap space to work with in the entire league. The Canadiens are up against a wall, and if they want to make any move happen, they will need to get creative in the trade market.

There is one player the Habs can use to create that cap space, though. It would be an unfortunate pill to swallow considering the potential the player has shown. However, tough decisions need to be made, and that is why the Canadiens must trade Patrik Laine at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.

Canadiens, Patrik Laine could benefit from trade

The Canadiens swung a trade for Patrik Laine in the summer prior to the 2024-25 campaign. Laine wanted a change of scenery after some tumultuous years with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Meanwhile, the Habs wanted to add some scoring punch as they prepared to make a charge at the playoffs.

Unfortunately, Laine’s tenure in Montreal began with an injury. He suffered an injury during the preseason, which delayed his debut by about half a season. He eventually hit the ice, and he played quite well. Laine scored 20 goals, 15 of them on the powerplay, while skating in 52 games.

Availability has remained an issue, however, as Laine has played just five games this season. To put this into perspective, out of a possible 139 games, Laine has only skated in 57 so far in a Canadiens sweater. This means he has played in just over 40% of the games Montreal has played since they acquired him.

It’s quite unfortunate any time a player struggles with injury. And it especially hurts because Laine is an asset when he’s healthy. He is a three-time 30+ goal scorer with a career high of 44 goals. Had he played a full 82 games last year, he was on pace for 31 goals.

There are concerns about his ability to contribute at 5v5, as last season showed. But any contending team in the NHL could use a player like Laine on their power play. No one is going to turn down 15 power-play goals if they can find a way to fit that contract into the books.

And that’s where we come to a rather large elephant in the room. Laine is being paid some big bucks. As a matter of fact, he is the highest-paid player on the Canadiens roster. He accounts for $8.7 million against the salary cap this year.

Laine will be a free agent this summer, though, which mitigates the risk in trading for Laine. The Canadiens will need to get creative regardless, given his struggles with injury. If Montreal can find the right buyer, though, a trade involving Patrik Laine makes all the sense in the world.

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