4 D-man have been placed on the trade market and are possible targets for the CH
With the 2022-2023 season in mind, it's safe to say that the Habs currently have a surplus of forwards, especially since the arrival of a certain Sean Monahan, and some pundits have raised the possibility of Kent Hughes parting with a forward in order to seek reinforcement on defense.
Obviously, this would be great news for the Habs organization, because if the offense has some depth, the same cannot be said for the defense. With the exception of Joel Edmundson, David Savard and Michael Matheson, the rest of the Canadiens' backs are rather inexperienced and as Marc-Olivier Cook of Danslescoulisses.com reports, it is very likely that Hughes will be able to make a move in the next few weeks.
Marc-Antoine Godin, who covers the Habs for The Athletic, actually wrote an article about this and according to him, the Habs will have to find a way to properly mentor the organization's young defensemen.
And that would involve bringing in an experienced back, especially on the right side of the defense, and that way, it would take some pressure off the young guys, especially a certain Justin Barron.
Acquired in the deal that sent Artturi Lehkonen to Colorado last March, Barron did well with the Habs at the end of the season and the organization has high hopes for him in the years to come.
But it must be said that in this period where the team is rebuilding, putting too much pressure on him could hurt him eventually and that is why the arrival of a veteran defenseman would be beneficial, not only for Barron, but for the entire organization.
Among the names suggested by Godin are these:
1- Tyson Barrie of the Edmonton Oilers
2- Dylan DeMelo of the Winnipeg Jets
3- Justin Holl of the Toronto Maple Leafs
4- Travis Hamonic of the Ottawa Senators
Other defensemen will eventually be available via waivers by the start of the season, but the players mentioned here could be good picks for Kent Hughes, as they have some talent and let's just say that with the departure of Jeff Petry, we will have to find a back to come in and help out as a veteran.
Barrie could even take the reigns of the power play, as he finished as the top scorer, among defensemen, in the 2020-2021 season (with 48 points in 56 games).
Things could get busy in September and Kent Hughes could possibly turn to these four defensemen, who are currently on the trade market.
| POLL | ||
Which of these defensemen would be an interesting asset for the Habs' defense? | ||
| Travis Hamonic | 48 | 20.2 % |
| Dylan DeMelo | 39 | 16.4 % |
| Justin Holl | 31 | 13 % |
| Tyson Barrie | 120 | 50.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
