Journalist Links Former Fifth-Overall Pick to Hughes and the Canadiens in a Possible Trade
When looking at the 2019 draft, it's evident that several high picks have not had a great start to their careers, such as Alex Turcotte and Kirby Dach.
Among them is indeed a certain Alex Turcotte, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings with the fifth overall pick.
He took his time to secure a spot with the team, but now, five years later, he has managed to become a regular forward with the California team.
Even though he plays on the fourth line, the fact that he is only 23 years old and, above all, that he was a first-round pick, means that his market value is still good.
This also means that he could serve as bait for a team that intends to unload players who will become free agents next summer.
A team like the Montreal Canadiens, for example.
We all know that forwards Joel Armia, Jake Evans, and Christian Dvorak will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the 2024-2025 season, and that Kent Hughes should logically part with all three before the trade deadline next March.
The name Alex Turcotte linked to the Montreal Canadiens by an expert
Via his X account, there is an analyst, PM Perron, who suggested to the Montreal Canadiens' general manager to look into the Kings and a certain Alex Turcotte.
He shared an article published in the NY Times by journalist Eric Stephens, in which he mentions that Turcotte is finally happy to be in the NHL full-time.
This situation could benefit both the Kings and the Canadiens, as Rob Blake will surely want to bring in reinforcements for his team by the trade deadline, and the three Canadiens players mentioned earlier in the article could very well interest the Kings' general manager.
Will he be willing to sacrifice a 23-year-old player who is starting to establish himself in the NHL for a simple rental player?
It's hard to say for now, but looking at the Canadiens' side, it could be an interesting acquisition as Turcotte knows a certain Cole Caufield very well.
The two played together with the U.S. National U18 Team during the 2018-2019 season and also with the Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA the following season.
This season, Alex Turcotte has scored two goals and added six assists for a total of eight points in 22 games, which is a better performance than Kirby Dach, who was drafted two spots higher than Turcotte in 2019.
