Lundestrom may have more to give elsewhere.
I am piggybacking this off the Oliver Wahlstrom post. The more I look at the Montreal Canadiens, the more they need a goal scorer. They can draft one, but that player won’t be in the NHL for 2-3 years if it’s a Top 10 selection, most take longer, but the Canadiens have a lot of draft capital, and they could trade for a goal scorer at the deadline, not to compete for this year but to bolster their lineup until some of their young players can produce like Juraj Slafkovsky.
Frank Vatrano could be a trade target. He’s not having a good season, and he probably needs a change of scenery. With the Ducks, he has seven goals and seven assists in 28 games. Last season, he had 37 goals, and the year before he had 22. He’s 30, and you need some of those veterans to play with youngsters. He is a UFA next season, but I would offer a second-round pick and possibly a fourth to bring him in. If he clicks, he might want to stay. It is a try before you buy situation.
On a cheaper basis, and the same team trying to get Isac Lundestrom couldn’t hurt, and it won’t cost that much. He’s 27 and a one-year deal, so it’s another, see what he looks like kind of deal. Lundestrom isn’t a guaranteed goal scorer. Would he score more goals on the wing? I think more than at center. He hasn’t matched that 16 that he had in 2021-22, but it’s worth trying to recapture that. A third-round pick might do it.