Philippe Myers might be the Toronto Maple Leafs' next throwaway piece, and the Montreal Canadiens could be the ones cashing in.
This offseason, general manager John Chayka reshaped Toronto's back end so thoroughly that Myers simply ran out of room.
Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae came in, Chris Tanev returned, and Morgan Rielly avoided a trade everyone expected. That left almost nothing for a depth defenseman like Myers.
Prospect Ben Danford is also knocking on the door for NHL minutes, adding one more body ahead of Myers on a crowded depth chart.
Myers played 39 games for Toronto last season, managing 2 points at a minus-10 rating, numbers that make him easy to move without much sting.
Tanev, by comparison, only played 11 games last year but still posted a plus-8 rating, exactly the kind of steady presence Toronto now prioritizes over Myers.
Why Montreal actually makes sense as a landing spot
At $850,000 for one more season, his contract is about as low risk as a trade chip gets for any team willing to take a swing.
The 6-foot-6 defenseman gives any team a size upgrade instantly, the kind of frame that clogs shooting lanes and clears the front of the net.
Reports have the Flyers and Ducks as the more desperate suitors, both chasing NHL defense depth, but Montreal has been floated as interested too.
For a Canadiens blue line already crowded with puck movers, adding a pure size and shutdown option like Myers actually fills a real hole.
-
Nobody's calling this a blockbuster. But cheap size that can eat bottom pairing minutes is exactly the kind of depth every contender ends up needing by March.
Over 233 NHL games across his career, Myers has posted 10 goals and 43 points, tools that have always left teams wanting a little more than he's delivered.
Whether Montreal actually pulls the trigger before camp, or Myers ends up in Philadelphia or Anaheim instead, is still very much up in the air.
Would Philippe Myers actually make sense as a depth addition for the Canadiens?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Dylan Larkin officially shown the door by Red Wings
