NHL Rumors: Canadiens & Panthers Becoming Potential Trade Partners

The Montreal Canadiens currently do not hold a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and the expectation is that they will be sellers at the 2025 NHL trade deadline. One of their most notable trade candidates is pending unrestricted free agent Joel Armia.

When looking at potential suitors for Armia, the Florida Panthers stand out big time.

One area that the Panthers are very likely going to try to address by the trade deadline is their bottom six. They simply could use more forward depth, and a player like Armia could give them a nice boost because of it.

If the Panthers acquired Armia, he would, at a minimum, provide them with an upgrade at right wing on their fourth line. However, he also could replace Jesper Boqvist at the 3RW spot for the Panthers if needed. Furthermore, due to his strong defensive play, he would be an obvious choice for their penalty kill, too.

Armia is quietly having a solid season with the Canadiens, as he has 10 goals, 24 points, and a plus-1 rating in 58 games. This is after he had 17 goals and 25 points in 66 games with the Habs this past season. With numbers like these, he would give the Panthers' bottom six a bit more secondary offensive production as well.

It will be fascinating to see if the Panthers make a big push for Armia, but the fit certainly looks there on paper.