Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj are drawing interest from teams looking to bolster their blue line, and the Montreal Canadiens suddenly have options.
TheFourthPeriod reported it citing two separate sources across the NHL, as relayed by RinkyReport on Tuesday.
Adam Engstrom was also named as a player of interest.
Montreal should listen. A blue line built around Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson and Mike Matheson can afford to move one of its physical depth pieces if the return helps elsewhere.
It's having two spare tires when your neighbor's car is up on blocks. You might as well see what he'll offer for one.
What would Kent Hughes want back? The report didn't get into that.
Struble is 25 and carries a $1,412,500 cap hit.
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This Canadiens trade proposal could reshape the team's blue line
Per the report, all three are among the clubs exploring the defensive market right now.
That doesn't tie any of them to a specific Canadien, but it does show where the demand is.
The Flyers are 0-2-2 and were criticized this week for not answering Brandon Hagel's elbow in Monday's loss in Tampa Bay.
Barry Trotz's Predators visit the Bell Centre on Thursday, so they'll get a close look at Montreal's blue line. Nashville came in 1-1-0, with Roman Josi and Steven Stamkos at two points each.
Pat Verbeek's Ducks are 2-0-0 and host Edmonton on Wednesday.
Xhekaj is also 25 and carries a $1,500,000 cap hit.
Struble has gone +2 without a point through two games, and his role was already a talking point on La Presse's Sortie de zone podcast.
Alexandre Carrier, who scored the winner in the opener, is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury after leaving Saturday's game in Pittsburgh. That complicates any move on the back end.
Matheson also took heat after Saturday's 6-5 overtime loss, logging 26:24.
The Canadiens open at home tonight against Carolina, and Struble and Xhekaj have dressed in both games so far.
Interest isn't an offer. But with three teams shopping, Hughes has leverage worth using before the market settles.
Should the Canadiens trade Jayden Struble or Arber Xhekaj?
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