After Big Day Of Signings, Young Canadiens' Defenseman Become Clear Trade Candidate

The Montreal Canadiens have been busy today in signing two of their young defensemen to two-year contracts. Both Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron were committed to for just over $1 million AAV each and both have to stay in the NHL next season or another team will have the ability to make a waiver claim.

Not only do the Canadiens have Xhekaj and Barron signed, the team also has expected NHL players in Kaiden Guhle, David Savard, Mike Matheson, Jordan Harris, and Jayden Struble along with top defensive prospects in Lane Hutson, David Reinbacher, and Logan Mailloux. There is just not enough space right now for everyone who should be playing to play, never mind in a year or two.

This opens the opportunity for Montreal to make a defensive trade to either bolster their weaker forward group or to add a future to use at a later time. Before some seasons go to waste because of lack of ice time, the Canadiens should be heavily invested in trading Harris. The 24-year-old has spent the last two seasons exclusively in the NHL and played 65 games and 56 games.

While Harris is more than capable of handling a full time role on the third pair somewhere, his ice time may very well go down again. This in turn will drop his trade value. He is heading into the last year of his contract at $1.4 million AAV and is a RFA after that. He won't be a UFA until 2028, so whichever team shows interest and potentially acquires him will have control for a while.

Harris is a talented defenseman and if the Canadiens didn't have so many young future stars pushing for time he'd be a great fit for longer, but that just isn't the case. Montreal should be looking to make a trade before the start of next season as the expectation is Hutson spends a good chunk of the season in the NHL as well.