Trade between the Blackhawks and Canadiens that could help after Laine's disturbing injury
The Montreal Canadiens witnessed their prized acquisition this summer Patrik Laine along with their highest defensive prospect David Reinbacher both go down to major knee injuries against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This injury will likely have Laine put on the long-term injury reserve for either part of the season or more likely the entire season which will open $8.7 million in cap space for the Canadiens. This unfortunate incident could be an opportunity for general manager Kyle Davidson to offer a player or two as the Blackhawks have an overabundance of forwards which stands at 14.
It's impossible to replace a player who has the size of Laine who stands at 6 foot 5 and weighs 216 lbs. There's more of an opportunity for the Blackhawks to move a couple of forwards who could help replace Laine in a collective state of goal scoring rather than one person getting all the goals.
Some players come to mind which including Jason Dickinson who holds the cap hit of $4.25 million for the next two years who is 29 years old center. This veteran player could certainly help the Canadiens in their depth and sit on their middle six as he is capable of scoring 22 goals last year through 82 games and had 35 points.
Another route the two clubs could go would be making a trade for younger players as both teams are currently in different states of their rebuild. The Blackhawks have several players in their minor system who could be offered free higher draft pick including a player like Lukas Reichel. At 22 years old, this left winger who holds a capital $1.2 million for the next two years could be a player that could develop with the Canadiens and become a fixture in their depth chart.
It's safe to say that the Blackhawks do have an abundance of players that they could offer the Canadiens, and the Hawks hold $6.6 million in cap space which could help them acquire a better player from the Canadiens.
Once all is confirmed from their camp, it's quite certain that Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes will begin receiving calls on crafting a trade I could augment his team even though he'd rather wish he had Laine and Reinbacher.
