The Montreal Canadiens have been one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference this season despite trading away two of their best players in the offseason. With this surprise season, can the New Jersey Devils help them get over the hump?
The New Jersey Devils are certified sellers this season, especially now with a lineup that’s so injured that Kurtis Gabriel is now a regular. It’s sad where the season went, but the reality is the Devils can build their entire future through this one NHL Trade Deadline.
The Montreal Canadiens, however, are enjoying a very good season, despite no expectations coming into it. They traded away Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk in the offseason, so it looked like the rebuild was on. Instead of going for Jack Hughes, the Canadiens are holding on to the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The players who lead their team make little sense if you saw their stats coming into the season, but we knew they had talent. Max Domi came back in the Galchenyuk deal, and analysts killed the Canadiens for that return. He’s just leading them in points. Jonathan Drouin was sent over in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Tomas Tatar came over in the Pacioretty deal with the Vegas Golden Knights. They are two-three in points.
Now, the Devils did just take a player off the Canadiens roster. They claimed Jersey boy Kenny Agostino off waivers. Obviously, he’s one of the players Ray Shero is looking to try and find lightning in a bottle, similar to what he did with Stefan Noesen two seasons ago. Sometimes these moves work out, and other times they end up going right back on waivers like Jean-Sebastien Dea.
However, could there be a bigger move in the works? There could be, but you may not like it.
So, how do I say this? Will Butcher has been much, much worse this season. Now, I would not be happy if the Devils decided to trade a 24-year-old defenseman who already has 64 points in less than two seasons while being a true power play quarterback. However, it’s telling that the Devils have placed Butcher on the second line of the power play as Damon Severson took his spot on the first line.
Butcher is a perfect fit for the Canadiens. Like, he fills their biggest need. The Canadiens power play is ranked 30th in the league. They only score 13.5% of their chances with the man advantage. Meanwhile, Butcher has 30 power play assists in his 135 games with the Devils. He would be crucial for them to change things up in scoring opportunities.
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From the Devils perspective, Butcher is technically an expiring contract. He’s set to become a restricted free agent, so the Devils still own his rights, but he’s going to want a raise. Butcher is going through a sophomore slump, but he could easily be one of the cornerstones of this roster if things fall into place and he works on some of his defensive lapses.
The Canadiens are going to ask about Butcher if a call happens. However, he’s got to be worth a lot to Shero. Obviously, the Canadiens aren’t going to give up any of their best roster players because they need everyone possible to make this push to the postseason. A playoff series is much more important to fans in Montreal than building for the future.
So, who are the Devils going to ask for when the Canadiens ask for Butcher?
Shero is going to want someone who’s going to be ready to play NHL hockey next year. The conversation probably starts with Ryan Poehling who dominted in the World Junior Classic this year, but that will be a hard get, even for Butcher. He’s been compared to Mikko Koivu already, and he’s currently playing at St. Cloud State.
Nick Suzuki is another player the Canadiens likely covet, but the Devils will ask about extensively. He’s another player that came back in the Pacioretty trade, but if the Canadiens can say they got Tatar and Butcher for Pacioretty, that’s not a bad haul for the NHL team looking to stay a playoff contender.
Honestly, it will be hard to make a Butcher trade work for the Devils, but the reality is he may become a repeat commodity with Ty Smith on the roster next season. They both play a similar game, but honestly Smith has a higher possible ceiling. At the same time, with the right coaching Butcher can be a really good defenseman beyond his offensive skill as early as next year. It’s a really hard spot, but if the Canadiens offer one of those two major center prospects, Shero is going to at least really think about it.
To be honest, this conversation may start with Butcher, but will likely move to something else to help them. Ben Lovejoy could be an option to play on their third line and then be a major upgrade for their 21st ranked penalty kill. The Canadiens could have him for a fourth-round pick in the NHL Draft, which is a much smaller compensation. This is the more likely trade, but don’t sleep on the fact that Will Butcher is not signed past this season.