Hint Revealed About Upcoming Transaction Involving a Young Montreal Canadiens Player
Rumors always begin when we see an NHL general manager attending a Montreal Canadiens game. Imagine when you see three, but at a Laval Rocket game.
That's exactly what happened Friday night in Laval, as Kyle Dubas (Penguins), Bill Armstrong (Utah), and Don Sweeney (Bruins) were in town to watch the game between the Laval Rocket and the Abbotsford Canucks.
This is quite unusual. I don't recall seeing so many prominent executives present at the same time for a game at Place Bell.
Anthony Marcotte
It didn't take much for speculation to explode on social media about the reason behind this surprise visit to Place Bell in Laval.
An Interest in Cayden Primeau?
For this first game of 2025, Laval Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent entrusted his new goaltender, Cayden Primeau. The player, who cleared waivers last week without being claimed, made his first start with the Rocket this season.
If the GMs were there for him, they certainly saw the good side of Cayden. Despite conceding a somewhat soft goal, he played an excellent game.
What If It Has Nothing to Do with the Montreal Canadiens?
However, the most plausible reason for the presence of these three general managers is not Primeau or even the Montreal Canadiens organization.
According to several sources, they were scouting Abbotsford Canucks players, the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks, for a specific reason.
As Renaud Lavoie mentioned, a big trade could be brewing in Vancouver, possibly involving a player from their AHL affiliate.
Could the player targeted by Dubas, Armstrong, and Sweeney be Elias Pettersson or even JT Miller?
Considering the atmosphere in Vancouver due to it wouldn't be surprising..
Simply a Stop Before the World Junior Championship?
The final theory for the presence of these three hockey executives is the World Junior Championship.
Bruce Garrioch stated, in response to Anthony Marcotte, that the trio had been in Ottawa the day before to attend the quarterfinals. Since there were no games in the tournament on Friday, they could have easily traveled to Laval, which isn't far, to scout prospects from two new teams.
The theory isn't far-fetched, considering that GMs are hockey enthusiasts who enjoy combining business with pleasure.
