Two trade rumors picked up intensity this week, with speculation about the chances of Pierre-Luc Dubois coming to Montreal and the possibility of the Canadiens trading up in the first round of the NHL Draft.
It wouldn't be the NHL offseason if rumors of player trades and potential moves to be made at the NHL Draft weren't picking up speed faster than the high-octane Formula 1 machines set to dominate the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve this weekend in Montreal.
Kent Hughes and the Canadiens are at the center of two such topics of speculation: one being a carryover from last summer with questions about whether Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois will be traded to the Habs, and the other a new report out this week that Hughes and company have possibly been in talks with other teams about the price of trading up from the fifth-overall position in the first round of the Draft.
It's no secret that Dubois has high hopes of playing in Montreal when he leaves Manitoba, but whether the Canadiens can afford the price tag which will accompany the 6-foot-4, 214 pound forward is another question. And maybe even further to that: will Dubois still be an impact player and worth an enormous salary when the team's young core finally reaches the point in the rebuild when they can seriously begin to contend for the Stanley Cup?
Although insiders around the NHL have a firm belief that the Quebec native will likely land in his home province when all is said and done, I'm actually holding out hope that this trade doesn't materialize for the reasons listed above.
As for the whispers growing ever louder that Hughes has been doing a bit of window shopping with teams selecting second through fourth at the Draft (like the San Jose Sharks) to potentially move up the draft selection order?
Sure, Hughes might want to zone in a prospect like Will Smith, who he coached with the Boston Junior Eagles. Or perhaps there's another top-five prospect he and the Canadiens' scouting staff have an eye on. But with the vast uncertainty of how the top-10 picks are really going to fall in this year's Draft, it very well could end up that the price tag is too high for the Canadiens to move up and they'll end up doing what Hughes suggested at the NHL Scouting Combine: select the best player available.
For me, I think that's probably the best route for Montreal to take. The talent in this year's Draft runs very deep, and there will most certainly be a number of players available at fifth-overall who would benefit the Canadiens roster.
If you'd like to hear my full take on these two trade rumors, you can clicking HERE to watch my latest Habs Hockey Report video on YouTube.