The QMJHL Holiday Trade Period has begun quietly but deals are expected to ramp up in the coming days.
When the QMJHL Holiday Trade Period kicked off Sunday morning, a pin drop could be heard across the league. Fans who spent the day constantly hitting refresh on their computers were left disappointed.
The same can be said five days later.
“Boring, quiet and uninspiring,” says Adam Lund, host of the Moncton Wildcast Podcast.
In a surprising move to some, Baie-Comeau shipped their starting goaltender, Olivier Ciarlo, along with a 2026 first round pick, to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. In return, Charles-Edward Gravel will become the new No. 1 for the Drakkar, currently the top team in the country according to the weekly Canadian Hockey League Top 10 Rankings.
A total of four deals were announced on a day one, a significant drop from the twenty-two completed on the first day of last year’s trade period. Don’t expect things to continue at the current pace.
“A stand-off,” says Andrew Barrington of the Talon Blog. “Teams are just waiting to see who will step up first.”
Two question marks have emerged in recent days which could explain the lack of trades announced to date, one being 20-year-old Alexis Gendron, who is currently with the American Hockey League’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Buyers are hoping he is returned to the QMJHL for the second half of his overage season.
The other is Samuel Savoie of the Chicago Blackhawks. The 19-year-old underwent successful surgery after suffering a femur injury in a pre-season game against the Minnesota Wild September 30th. Savoie is expected to be returned to the rebuilding Gatineau Olympiques once healthy.
Expect a flurry of deals to be made official by Saturday as a freeze will occur December 24th, 25th and 26th. Another freeze will take place December 31st and January 1st. While General Managers are still permitted to talk over the holidays, transactions will not be approved by the league.
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