Canadiens Named Top Trade Landing Spot For Canucks Sniper

The Montreal Canadiens would benefit by acquiring another skilled winger to strengthen their top nine.

Due to this, the Canadiens are now being viewed as a potential trade fit for a notable winger from the Vancouver Canucks.

In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Adam Gretz named the Canadiens among the top potential landing spots for Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk. 

"While they are very good with a great future, they are still not a finished product. They still need some help in the lower half of their lineup, and after a quiet offseason that only saw them add Chris Kreider, that is still the case. DeBrusk wouldn't need to be a major play-driver here and could easily settle into a middle-six role on the left side and chip in some much-needed secondary scoring, both now and in the short-term future," Gretz wrote.

With the Canadiens needing another scoring winger, it makes sense that they are being viewed as a potential trade destination for DeBrusk. The 2015 first-round pick would undoubtedly give Montreal more offense, as he has scored at least 23 goals in four out of his last five seasons.

DeBrusk has also been off to a solid start offensively this season with the Canucks, as he has three goals and five points in seven games. With numbers like these, he could work well in the Canadiens' top nine if acquired. 

When looking at a specific spot in the lineup where DeBrusk could fit, their second line with Alex Newhook and Kreider stands out. However, he also could work on Montreal's third line with Zach Bolduc and Phillip Danault. In either scenario, Montreal's roster would look stronger if they brought in DeBrusk. 

DeBrusk also has a very reasonable $5.5 million cap hit through the 2030-31 season. This adds to his appeal, so it will be intriguing to see if the Canadiens pursue him from here.