Even if his Montreal Canadiens are at the top of the Atlantic Division, GM Kent Hughes is still active on the trade market, and Research Ground reports that he has inquired about Buffalo Sabres’ big forward Tage Thompson.
While Thompson is yet another right-shot center, if he becomes available, he could be a perfect target for the Habs. At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, he’s an imposing presence on the ice, and he knows how to use his big frame; so far this season, he’s landed 24 hits. Furthermore, at 28 years old, he’s a proven veteran scorer, with 337 points in 464 games, and would be the perfect second-line center behind Nick Suzuki (the Habs captain has 395 points in 471 games).
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It's easy to imagine him centring a line with Ivan Demidov on one side and Kirby Dach on the other. That would be a big line, both literally and figuratively, with Dach also being 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds (the Russian rookie is 6-foot-1 and 192 pounds). Kevyn Adams has shown last season that he doesn’t fear trading with divisional rivals when he sent Dylan Cozens to the Ottawa Senators in a blockbuster deal.
As enticing as a trade for Thomson may seem, Adams has told the many teams interested that Thomson is not available at this time. The last part of that sentence, “at this time,” remains the same since the Sabres are once again struggling this season. They’ve got 14 points in 16 games, four points ahead of the last-place Calgary Flames. The Sabres haven’t made the playoffs since the 2010-11 campaign, and sooner or later, they’ll have to get back on track, but if they keep trading their best players away, it won’t be easy.
Even if they were to decide to move Thompson eventually, the price tag certainly wouldn’t be cheap, especially for a divisional rival. The big pivot is currently in the third year of his seven-year deal with a $7,142,857, which would even make him a good fit in the Canadiens’ salary structure. Still, it’s worth mentioning that the contract has a modified no-trade clause, which allows him to submit a list of five teams he cannot be traded to.
This is undoubtedly a situation Hughes will be monitoring closely over the coming weeks and months.
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