The Montreal Canadiens’ awfully quiet front office raised many questions in the minds of analysts and fans alike. A trade for an elite goaltender could have made a lot of sense for Kent Hughes, and there are reports now that the Canadiens had legitimate interest in Sergei Bobrovsky. While a move for Bobrovsky is far from shocking, an insider has completely dismissed rumors linking the Canadiens with New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier.
Insider Dismisses Nico Hischier to Montreal Canadiens Trade Theory
The Devils have recently improved significantly, having won three straight games, the most recent victory being over archrival New York Rangers. Still, for the most part, New Jersey has had better seasons. Consequently, despite recent success, the Devils are still well out of the playoffs with 72 points.
The Canadiens, on the other hand, are in contention for a deep playoff run and could benefit greatly from a second-line center. To further fuel speculation, Hughes stated that the Habs will most certainly revisit a “significant deal” in the offseason, which could not be executed on time at the deadline. For many, the mystery deal involves the Devils’ Hischier.
“It’s Nico Hischier … received confirmation from multiple sources @CanadiensMTL @NJDevils have a handshake agreement on a deal that will be finalized in the off season,” Hockey Insiderr shared on social media.
Before any Habs fans could get their hopes up, RGMedia’s Jimmy Murphy has thoroughly rubbished any possibility of such a development, calling it “100-percent false.”
In a hypothetical scenario, Hischier, who is in the sixth year of his seven-year, $50.57 million contract with the Devils, would make a lot of sense for the Habs.
He is a reliable producer, even though he has failed to put up an offensive performance up to his standards this season, with 52 points in 68 games. Nonetheless, he could still bring some elite talent to the table at a modest cap hit.
But that would be if the Devils agreed to trade him.
In view of New Jersey’s underwhelming season, the consensus going into the deadline was that Tom Fitzgerald would sell. But the front office remained quiet as the day passed by without any major events.
The Devils are content with how their team looks at the moment and would prefer to add more assets rather than trade the ones they already have.
“My focus was purely on the future of this organization moving forward and trying to add to the current a group, a player or two that could grow with this group,” Fitzgerald said.
Therefore, the widespread speculation that the Canadiens and the Devils have kept a Hischier deal under wraps until the offseason holds little value.
