In his most recent press conference, the General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens, Kent Hughes, openly mentioned that he will try to trade one or more forwards in the coming weeks.
The name that comes up the most, for various reasons, is that of Mike Hoffman.
A concrete trade proposal
At the beginning of the month, a trade concluded between the New York Islanders and the Chicago Blackhawks gave us a solid clue.
In Chicago: - Josh Bailey - 2026 2nd round pick
To the Islanders: - Future considerations
Bailey has a very similar profile to Hoffman and he had a virtually identical contract.
So, it clearly shows what it would logically cost Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens to trade Mike Hoffman.
Would you do it at this price?
It would result in this trade:
To Chicago or other: - Mike Hoffman - 2nd round pick
To Montreal: - Future considerations
With the room that Kent Hughes has under the salary cap, it's honestly not ideal to "waste" a pick like this, but it could send a strong message for the culture and make room for a young player.