It’s been a traumatic start to the pre-season for the Montreal Canadiens, as it feels like they have been in the penalty box more than on the ice playing hockey after coming to the defence of their now-injured players such as Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher.
It is clear the weight of defender his teammates can’t completely be on the shoulders of Arber Xhekaj, who needs to stay on the ice to further develop as a defenceman.
While it is unclear if Habs GM Kent Hughes is calling teams for a bottom-six enforcer to take some of that heavy duty off Xhekaj, it would make sense to add another tough body to the lineup – at the very least, Hughes should do his due diligence on the trade market.
The reality is the Canadiens forward corps doesn’t necessarily have that stubborn piece who can defend its teammates while also providing a clean physical game.
One player that comes to mind here is Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier.
Olivier, 27, is entering the final year of his two-year, $2.2 million contract signed before the 2023-24 NHL season. The right winger played 58 games last season and collected 12 points, playing fourth line minutes with the Jackets. He is no stranger to dropping the mitts, participating in eight fights last season. Not only the fighting aspect, but the winger also plays a very detailed physical game and is a reliable piece on the fourth line and penalty kill.
Another potential player can be former Montreal Canadien Nicolas Deslauriers.
‘DLO’ was a fan favourite during his time in Montreal where he spent two seasons with the Habs collecting 77 penalty minutes. The 33-year-old signed a four-year extension with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2022 and may not be easily accessible; moving him could be difficult for Flyers GM Danny Briere, especially with the emergence of top prospect Matvei Michkov entering the fold in Philly.
As the Canadiens finalize their squad in the coming days, we should get a better idea of whether a transaction or two takes place before opening night on October 9th.
