Trade Market: Daniel Brière wishes to trade an offensive defensemen
Even though the Tricolore's defense is chock-full of very promising young defenders, the vast majority of them unfortunately play on the left side. Besides Justin Barron and David Savard, the Canadiens don't really have right-handed defenders who can have a significant impact in the lineup for the 2023-2024 season.
Of course, Logan Mailloux will certainly have the chance to establish himself as a regular NHL defender in the coming years. However, it would be very surprising if the 20-year-old earned a spot with the big club right away, as he will need to perfect his game with the Laval Rocket before making the leap to the NHL.
Kent Hughes will therefore have to find a short-term solution this summer in order to add a right-handed defender to his roster if the team wants to be more competitive next year. Some free agents such as Damon Severson, John Klingberg, and Kevin Shattenkirk could be interesting options for the general manager, but he could also decide to turn to the trade market to acquire an established defender.
The new general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, Daniel Brière, notably mentioned that one of his defenders might be traded during the off-season. Indeed, Tony DeAngelo is no longer part of the organization's plans and it wouldn't be surprising to see him leave the team this summer.
The 27-year-old American will become a free agent at the end of the 2023-2024 season, and he is currently earning an annual salary of $5 million. He could certainly bring an interesting offensive aspect to the Canadiens by supporting Mike Matheson on the power play.
Moreover, with only one year remaining on his contract, the risk would be minimal. If the Canadiens are out of the playoff picture by the trade deadline, Kent Hughes could also trade him to recover a draft pick or a top prospect. Many general managers wish to add some offense to their roster on the eve of the spring dance and the power play specialist is likely to be in high demand.
Do you believe that Kent Hughes should attempt to acquire the services of Tony DeAngelo?
Tony DeAngelo's stats over his last three seasons:
2019-2020: 15 goals and 38 assists (53 points) in 68 games
2021-2022: 10 goals and 41 assists (51 points) in 64 games
2022-2023: 11 goals and 31 assists (42 points) in 70 games
Sources : The Fourth Period
| POLL | ||
Should Kent Hughes attempt to acquire right-handed defender Tony DeAngelo? | ||
| Yes | 24 | 23.1 % |
| No | 80 | 76.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
