A young defenseman from the Montreal Canadiens on the verge of being traded to another top-4 team? Kent Hughes has serious reasons to trade Jordan Harris

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Elias Edmonson
September 10, 2023 (3:39 PM)

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Let's not hide it, there will be, sooner or later, a congestion at the blue line of the Canadiens. The team's young core is already promising and several other good young defensemen will try to break through in the coming years. If we want David Reinbacher, Lane Hutson, or even Logan Mailloux to be part of this lineup, Kent Hughes will have to think about making room for them.

It is true that David Savard's contract will end after the summer of 2025, which is in two seasons, but even more space will be needed in the team's top 7 to play all our young players. Hughes will have no choice but to trade one or more promising defensemen, as he will not be able to keep all of them.

Sportsnet journalist Eric Engels thinks that the sacrificed defenseman could very well be Jordan Harris. In a recent appearance on Tony Marinaro's The Sick Podcast, the experienced journalist explained his thoughts on the matter.

According to him, Harris, although he could earn his place on the Habs' second duo, will not get his chance to shine in Montreal. With left-handed defensemen Kaiden Guhle and Michael Matheson who are hierarchically ahead of him on the Canadiens chart, he will not be properly utilized in the organization. A trade could therefore be beneficial, both for him and for the CH.

"He will be much better than some might have believed. He could undoubtedly become a 'top 4' defenseman, but not necessarily with the Montreal Canadiens." - Eric Engels

The good thing is that Harris's value could be much greater than we thought. It is certain, according to Engels, that other NHL teams would be interested in his services.

"He could have more value with other teams than with the Canadiens" - Eric Engels

Kent Hughes, however, has all the time to analyze things and see if Harris is indeed the player to sacrifice. Indeed, the defenseman will finish a contract in the summer of 2025, a two-season contract valued at 1.4 million dollars annually. He will then still be a restricted free agent, thus under the authority of the Habs.

In 75 games in the big league, the now 23-year-old American has accumulated 5 goals, 13 assists for a total of 18 points. He played an average of 18 minutes 39 seconds per game during the last campaign, which places him just behind Joel Edmundson (19 min 34 sec) among the club's defensemen in this regard.

Via TVA Sports