A month ago, we discussed the possibility of the Montreal Canadiensacquiring Zach Withecloud from the Calgary Flames to shore up the right side of their blueline. There’s a hole there, and it needs addressing sooner rather than later. In an ideal world, Lane Hutson wouldn’t have to play on his off side, nor would Kaiden Guhle. On his Habscast podcast on Saturday night, Grant McCagg made an interesting suggestion.
He also believes Whitecloud would be an interesting target for the Canadiens. But he speculates the Habs should approach the Flames with an offer that includes Adam Engstrom and Alexander Zharovsky. While the idea is likely to ruffle some feathers, it’s not without logic.
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Many believe that Engstrom is ready to make the jump to the NHL, including former Laval Rocket coach Pascal Vincent, but he’s not the type of defenseman the Canadiens need. Yes, he can play on his off side, but he’s not a robust defensive defenseman. He’s a good skater and has a good first pass to launch the attack, but that’s not something the Habs are missing. That’s why McCagg believes he could be a good bargaining chip.
As for Zharovsky, his point is similar: the Russian winger can score spectacular goals and make great highlight-reel-worthy passes, but that’s not necessarily what the Canadiens need. Montreal has got plenty of skill and talent, and that’s not the kind of top-six player Kent Hughes is looking for. The Canadiens have reportedly tried to acquire Matthew Knies from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Habs want productive forwards, yes, but they’re also looking for size and physicality from their next top-six forward. Zharovsky may be 6-foot-2, but he doesn’t play that type of game.
McCagg isn’t proposing to use both prospects to land Whitecloud alone, though; he adds the Flames could add a prospect like Samuel Honzek. A first-round pick in the 2023 draft, Honzek is a 6-foot-4, 185-pound left winger who was on track to have a breakout season with Calgary last year before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in a freak collision with a teammate.
Would the Flames be willing to do that trade? It’s a good question. They’ve been reported to have interest in Canadiens’ RFA Arber Xhekaj in the past, and while Xhekaj has attributes the Habs need, he’s not being used enough to have an impact. In that sense, he may be worth more to the Habs as a trade chip than as a seventh defenseman. It likely would have to be a sign-and-trade kind of deal, though.
If they won’t play him, it could be wise for the Habs to dangle Xhekaj in front of the Flames. That way, they could keep hold of Engstrom. While some believe it’s not time for the Habs to start overpaying for assets, it’s important to remember that if and when they start doing that, there’s no guarantee that it will work right away. Even established NHL players need time to adapt to a new team and a new system, like Noah Dobson did this past season. Nick Suzuki is now halfway through his eight-year contract, and when it runs out at the end of the 2029-30 season, there’s no telling how much it will cost to re-sign him. Suzuki is in his prime now; it’s time for Hughes to add some of those big missing pieces so that there is time for it all to come together.
According to Puckpedia, next offseason, when the contracts of Josh Anderson, Phillip Danault, Kirby Dach, and Alexandre Carrier expire, Montreal will have nearly $39.5 million in cap space. The GM will be in an excellent position to chase big-time players to complete the puzzle up front. If Montreal were to acquire a reliable right-shot defenseman like Whitecloud now, they could give Reinbacher one more year of seasoning in the AHL, and next season, when Carrier comes off the books, the Habs could have Dobson, Whitecloud, and Reinbacher on the right and Matheson, Hutson, and Guhle on the left.
By then, with Michael Hage joining the fold at the end of the current season, hopefully with a Frozen Four title in his back pocket, the Habs would need to add a top-six player and some size and grit to their bottom six. Next offseason, Marchenko will be an RFA and could sign an offer sheet. Given how much interest the Canadiens reportedly have, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them go down that route if they cannot reach a deal for a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets by then.
So far this offseason, it looks like Hughes has tried to find a top-six forward, to no avail. If he’s able to pry a reliable veteran right-shot defenseman from a trade partner, it would be worth doing it. It might not be as exciting an acquisition as a top-of-the-lineup forward, but it’s still a need that has to be addressed if the Canadiens want to be top contenders. It was painfully obvious in last year’s playoffs that Martin St-Louis didn’t have six defensemen he could trust, and that’s just as important as having a feared top six.
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