Trade Pitch Has Canadiens Acquiring $84 Million Forward in Blockbuster

Getty Trade pitch sends Jonathan Huberdeau to Canadiens.

The Montreal Canadiens have already made one blockbuster deal this offseason acquiring Patrik Laine, and one trade pitch has them adding another star forward.

The website PuckPedia‘s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Canadiens acquire Jonathan Huberdeau from the Calgary Flames.

Canadiens acquire:

• Jonathan Huberdeau ($3 million retained)
• 2025 second-round pick

Flames acquire:

• Christian Dvorak
• 2025 first-round pick

The trade pitch would be a blockbuster as Montreal and Calgary would swap forwards who have struggled under their current contracts, as well as Montreal dealing a first-round pick for a second-round pick.

The Canadiens would acquire Huberdeau who’s entering the second year of his eight-year $84 million deal. However, the proposed deal would see Calgary retain $3 million per season to bring Huberdeau’s salary down to $7.5 million per season.

In Huberdeau’s first season with Calgary, he skated in 81 games recording 12 goals and 40 assists for 52 points. He’s skated in 831 games recording 225 goals and 495 assists for 720 points. Huberdeau would be a top-six forward in Montreal.

Dvorak, meanwhile, is entering the final year of his six-year $26.7 million deal. Dvorak has struggled with Montreal as last season, he skated in 30 games recording 5 goals and 4 assists for 9 points. The veteran forward would be a middle-six forward with Calgary and could be moved at the trade deadline for more assets.

Huberdeau Confident In Rebound Season

Huberdeau was part of the blockbuster deal that saw Matthew Tkachuk be traded to the Florida Panthers in 2022.

In Huberdeau’s two seasons with the Flames, he hasn’t lived up to the hype. But, entering the 2024-25 NHL season, Huberdeau says his confidence is back.

“I think more speed… I’m never going to be the fastest guy, but I think get a lot of power, more power and stuff, and I had a lot of time to do it,” Huberdeau said to NHL.com. “Really happy with the summer that I had. It’s probably my best summer of training that I’ve had. I just have to translate that onto the ice. I skated more in the summer as well, so I feel better.

“The confidence is back. I just have to relay that to here with the guys, and I think this year I want to bring fun to my game. That’s what we need to be. I think we’ve just got to make it fun as a team. You never know. We can cause some surprises,” Huberdeau added.

In two seasons with the Flames, Huberdeau has skated in 160 games recording 27 goals and 80 assists for 107 points.

Canadiens Make Blockbuster Deal to Acquire Laine

Montreal made a blockbuster deal on August 19 acquiring former second-overall pick Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The deal adds some more scoring to the Canadiens’ lineup, but general manager Kent Hughes says Laine’s success isn’t just about goals.

“Whether he scores 20 goals or 40 goals, his success here is not going to be defined strictly by goals. It’s going to be defined by his ability to help contribute to this team and help us. We’re very young and he may be young at 26. But, that still makes him an elder statesman on the Montreal Canadiens. And we’re hoping that as such he’ll do his part to help and teach our young players,” Hughes said on August 19.

Laine skated in just 18 games recording 6 goals and 3 assists for 9 points with the Blue Jackets last season.