Canadiens Rumors: Joel Armia could be on his way out of Montreal

The Montreal Canadiens are expected to continue their on-the-fly re-tool ahead of the trade deadline, as GM Kent Hughes has several players garnering trade interest. This includes forward Joel Armia, who Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff ranked as his #1 under-the-radar trade candidate.

Armia, 31, is a pending unrestricted free agent, owed $3.4 million this season. He's recorded 10 goals and 24 points in 55 games this year, averaging 14:42 of ice-time per game, including 2:40 on the penalty kill, and spot duty on the Canadiens' second power-play unit.

Armia has landed 75 hits, blocked 26 shots, and ranks 6th on Montreal getting 82 shots on goal. The Pori, Finland native has appeared in 44 Stanley Cup Playoff games, scoring 10 goals and chipping in with five assists. His style of play and versatility could make him a very attractive trade chip for contending teams, and the fact he's a rental, will certainly give Hughes some leverage in trade talks.

Armia started the 2023-24 season by clearing waivers and spending eight games in the AHL for the first time in eight years. He played decently when he returned to Montreal, but most would have written him off at that point as a washed-up depth player who just couldn’t handle the pace of the NHL anymore. But here we are in his seventh season in Montreal and Armia is having a breakthrough campaign. He’s on pace for 36 points, which would be a nice step up from the 30 he had in 58 games in 2019-20.

Armia has given Montreal some serious help on a third line featuring potential trade chip Jake Evans. The Finnish winger can be difficult to play against, playing a solid shutdown role while also firing off his booming shot. At 6-foot-3, he has a good frame, too. It’s been a while since Armia played some meaningful hockey in the spring, but he had two decent runs with the Canadiens in 2020 and 2021 and could be an impact bottom-six piece for a team looking to go deep this year - S, Ellis - Daily Faceoff

Montreal enters the two-week 4 Nations Face-Off break 25-25-5 on the year, sitting six points out of a wild-card position.