The player most in demand with the Canadiens may not be who you thought
With less than two months to go before the trade deadline, many of the Canadiens' players are likely to attract the attention of other NHL teams. And if Ben Chiarot's name is the one that comes up most often in rumors, he would not be the player most in demand in Montreal.
Indeed, according to the renowned Frank Seravalli, many teams aspiring to the Stanley Cup would have left winger Artturi Lehkonen in their sights. These teams would see Lehkonen as a «Blake Coleman 2.0», a supportive player who could contribute offensively and could play an important role in a long playoff run.
The 26-year-old Finn had after all made a big contribution to the Habs' epic playoff run, including scoring the goal that sent his team to the grand finale, during the overtime period of the sixth game against the Golden Knights.
It remains to be seen now if Kent Hughes can get as good a return for Lehkonen as the Devils when they traded Coleman at the Lightning. Recall that to acquire Coleman, the Lightning had to sacrifice a first round pick as well as prospect Nolan Foote.
In short, it would be literally a stroke of genius on Hughes' part if he could complete such a move by March 21.
