The Montreal Canadiens missed out on some significant opportunities during this offseason, but more doors could be opening.
A second-line center behind veteran Nick Suzuki remains a top priority.
To hypothetically fill the gap, an NHL writer revisited a trade proposal that would change the game for the Canadiens.
Canadiens’ Trade Pitch Ships Elias Pettersson to Montreal
If 27-year-old Pettersson were to find his way to Montreal, it would be a massive blockbuster move.
But Brandon Croce of FanSided isn’t ruling out such an opportunity.
“The question teams need to answer before trading for Pettersson is whether the decrease in performance is because of the player or the fact that the Canucks have not been very good the past few seasons,” he wrote. “If the Canadiens were to trade for him, he would not need to be a top-line center and could bounce back on a line with Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov.”
During his 2025-26 campaign, he skated in 74 games and posted a 15-36-51 performance.
This year, through his two games, he’s riding 2-2-4.
Compared to his most productive season back in 2022-23, this is a drastic drop.
By the end of his 2022-23 campaign, he had made 80 game appearances and logged a 39-63-102 performance.
Croce raises an interesting question — is he simply on a downward spiral, or is it his environment?
I’m inclined to believe there’s fuel left in the tank, and that a change of scenery is exactly what he needs to return to — or close to — his prior form.
Last year, the Canucks finished last in the Pacific Division at 25-49-8.
Not only did they finish last in their division, but they ranked last in the Western Conference.
Pettersson had the most points (51) among Vancouver, the second-most assists (36) behind Filip Hronek (41) and the fifth-most goals (15) behind Drew O’Connor (17), Keifer Sherwood (17), Brock Boeser (22) and Jake DeBrusk (23).
Nevertheless, his efforts weren’t enough to push the Canucks up in the standings.
He is still capable on the ice, but it is time for a change.
Montreal needs a second-line center, and Pettersson could slide into that role rather seamlessly.
Not to mention, the Canadiens have a flexible salary cap.
How Are the Montreal Canadiens Shaping Up This Season?
At the time of this writing, Montreal is in the midst of its clash against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
This is their second game of the regular season.
In their season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, the Canadiens squeezed out a 3-2 victory, scoring one goal in each period.
This brings their overall record to 1-0-0, which places them third in the Atlantic Division.
Montreal trails the Florida Panthers (1-0-1) and the Boston Bruins (2-0-0).
Following their matchup with the Penguins, the Canadiens will return home to Centre Bell to host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. ET.
Canadiens’ Blockbuster Trade Pitch Revisits Colossal $92.8M Opportunity