Hockey Analyst Pushes Canadiens to Target Veteran Goalie in Trade: Top Candidate Named

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Julien Trekker
October 31, 2024 (11:54)

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A hockey analyst is urging the Montreal Canadiens to target a veteran goalie in a trade and John Gibson was named as a potential candidate.

Even though Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton, the Montreal Canadiens General Manager and President of Hockey Operations respectively, mentioned many times that they wouldn't sacrifice the future of the team to win now, some people like to think they could make a big trade to help the Canadiens be in the playoff mix this season.

It's no secret that the Canadiens have been struggling this season, especially defensively and between the pipes. Samuel Montembault and Cayden Primeau have both had great performances this season, but their inconsistency is hurting the team.

After a shutout against the Toronto Maple Leafs on the Habs' season opener, Montembault faced adversity in the last week, being ejected in both games against the New York Rangers and Seattle Kraken. In both of these games, he allowed four goals in the first period and was replaced by Primeau in 7-2 and 8-2 losses.

According to Dave Morissette, a TVA Sports analyst, the Habs should go after a top goalie on the trade market:

«Primeau, it's not working right now. Am I the only one who gets nervous every time Primeau gets a shot? Are you nervous?» - Dave Morissette

While it would be surprising to see the Canadiens management pull off such a move, the goaltenders are struggling and Hughes must do something if he wants his team to have a shot at making the playoffs this season, or face another basement finish.

Elliotte Friedman confirmed Hughes was working on a deal, but is more focused on getting a forward or a defenseman than a goaltender:

Gibson is an obvious candidate for any team looking for a reliable goalie. However, acquiring a goaltender at this point of their rebuild makes very little sense for the Canadiens, considering they also shipped out Jake Allen; a veteran netminder who could have easily helped.

With Jakub Dobes performing very well in the AHL, and Jacob Fowler dominating the NCAA, the Habs have a lot of interesting prospects between the pipes. Sacrificing top assets to get a goalie who would only stay for a few years doesn't seem to be a move that fits the Habs' management style.

The veteran goalie is yet to play a game this season, as he's still recovering from the appendectomy he went through in September.

This shouldn't impact his market value, as Gibson proved time and time again in his career that he can be a game-changer in the NHL.