The Montreal Canadiens Jayden Struble trade had been in the cards for a while. And so were the reasons for the move.
The deal should come as no surprise, particularly in light of comments from Canadiens’ insider Marco D’Amico.
The notable Habs insider made it clear that the club was going to face a logjam in their blue line soon. Someone had to go, and that someone was Struble.
Getting a 2nd rounder for Jayden Struble is a good bit of business nonetheless.
And if you’re Nashville, that’s a young player worth taking a bet on.
Now, two things to unpack here.
First, Kaiden Guhle is a fixture on the Canadiens’ blue line. As such, his return from injury was going to squeeze someone out of the lineup. But Guhle’s return would also require an open roster spot, specifically, Jayden Struble’s spot.
The second reason here is that Adam Engstrom has leapfrogged the 25-year-old in the team’s depth chart. That situation alone made the former second-round pick expendable for the organization.
When looking at the trade in that lens, the move was a practical one. But, most importantly, it gives Struble an opportunity to get a legitimate shot at becoming a full-time player in Nashville. The Predators are going through a bit of a retool on the fly, and so, Struble fits the bill.
But there’s one other thing that the Canadiens managed here that’s truly noteworthy.
Canadiens Get a Highly Useful Draft Pick for Jayden Struble
The Predators overpaid a bit for Struble. While he was a second-round pick himself, paying a second-rounder for a third-pairing guy is a “good bit of business,” as D’Amico noted.
That said, the Canadiens aren’t really looking at this pick as one they’ll use. Fans better believe that pick will be part of a package for another target of interest. While this conversation isn’t about who they’ll target, the point here is that the pick should come in handy at some point down the line.
Think about it this way: If the Canadiens pull off a trade with a rebuilding club (Ahem, Flames), the pick could become very enticing for said rebuild.
For other teams, moving a player and getting that pick could also allow them to flip it in a separate deal. Yes, a second-rounder doesn’t have as much value as a first-rounder, but it remains a valuable piece, nonetheless.
Habs Not Done Wheeling and Dealing
Friday’s trade was just a step on the road to a bigger move down the line. The Canadiens have been linked to numerous players over the last few months. Most recently, talks of Dylan Larkin have picked up again, though there are no solid leads connecting the two sides.
That said, it’s fair to say that the Habs are not done wheeling and dealing. And so, fans should keep an eye on what may transpire in the coming weeks. There might just be something else the Canadiens want to address. The most evident area is scoring, but goaltending might be an area to look into, especially if the organization feels that more depth beyond Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler is worth targeting at some point.
Canadiens Reasons for Jayden Struble Trade Revealed by Insider