Trade involving Jordan Harris: His value is now known, and the Canadiens could receive a very interesting return

PUBLICATION

Elias Edmonson
September 7, 2023 (6:41 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

The current situation with the defenders is a major topic of conversation with the Tricolore at the moment. Indeed, many experts expect one of Jordan Harris, Arber Xhekaj, or Justin Barron to be forced to start the season with the Rocket. Moreover, young prospects like David Reinbacher, Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, and Adam Engstrom should also be pushing to secure a position with the Canadiens in the coming years.

If the Canadiens' defense was somewhat lacking in depth a few years ago, it's quite the opposite now. Although it's very encouraging to see this evolution, the lack of playing time could greatly affect the development of certain defenders. Kent Hughes may therefore be forced to make a trade soon to ensure that they can continue their progression.

Furthermore, during his appearance on the podcast The Sick Podcast With Tony Marinaro, the excellent Eric Engels made a very interesting statement regarding the 23-year-old defender, Jordan Harris. Indeed, according to him, the number 54 of the Tricolore has excellent value in the trade market since many teams believe he will become a top-4 defenseman in the NHL.

I see in Jordan Harris a player who has a lot of value for the Montreal Canadiens at the moment. He has demonstrated stability in his game, and he's a player who is improving more and more and who will be better than many people think. He could inevitably become a top-4 defenseman in the NHL, but not necessarily with the Tricolore. That's where his value would become much larger on the trade market than with the Canadiens. - Eric Engels

Wow! According to him, Harris could have much better value for another NHL team that does not have quality prospects on the blue line. He particularly made a very intriguing comparison with Alexander Romanov, who was in a similar situation two years ago. Although the CH did not have as many young defenders at the time, the veterans on the team prevented him from getting more playing time.

Knowing that several prospects will make the leap to the NHL within the next two seasons, and that Mike Matheson, David Savard, Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, and Justin Barron will probably still be in the lineup at that time, should the Canadiens try to trade Jordan Harris at the end of the 2023-2024 season?

After all, if his value is similar to that of Alexander Romanov, Kent Hughes could once again get his hands on a young forward with very promising potential. This could greatly help the Canadiens' offense, which needs to find players capable of evolving within their top-6 in order to compete with the best teams in the NHL.