Montreal Canadiens trade proposal emerges sending veteran to the Pittsburgh Penguins

In 2021, the Habs acquired center Christian Dvorak from the Arizona Coyotes to replace 2018's 3rd overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who joined the Carolina Hurricanes via an offer sheet.

Dvorak got the job done. Even though he has dealt with multiple injuries since moving to Montreal, he did what he had to do. He has scored 70 points since joining the Canadiens, but most importantly, he did all the little things right, cultivating his reputation as a responsible player. Head coachMartin St-Louis certainly hopes that Dvorak can continue to be reliable ahead of the next season.

However, the player is entering the final season of his six-year, $4,450,000 AAV contract, and his name often comes up when discussing possible trade assets in Montreal.

Dave Jenkins wrote on NHLtraderumor.com that the Habs could be looking to offload the player and his contract before the trade deadline. He proposed a massive scenario with the Pittsburgh Penguins involving veteran Kevin Hayes.

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While the Habs would take on Hayes and his hefty $7,142,857 AAV contract with two seasons left, they would also get the young and promising defenseman Harrison Brunicke.

Drafted 44th overall in 2024 by the Penguins, Brunicke had a great season in the WHL with the Kamloops Blazers last year, tallying 21 points in 49 games.

I believe that this trade has very little chance of happening. General manager Kent Hughes has often mentioned that he wouldn't make trades just for the sake of it. He wants to improve his team. In this deal, it doesn't feel like the Habs would be in a better position, either on the ice or financially.

Also, the Canadiens have a lot of depth on the blue line in their prospect pool, with Logan Mailloux, Lane Hutson, David Reinbacher, Justin Barron, and William Trudeau.

It would be very surprising to see the Habs make this deal, considering the current management style in Montreal, but that doesn't mean Dvorak will still be a Montreal Canadiens player after the trade deadline.