The Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens find themselves in very different positions this season. The Flames are rolling and look like a legitimate contender in the Pacific while the Canadiens are off to a horrific start and have recently cleaned house in management. Also in different conferences, the two teams make for excellent trade partners. The difficulty is cap situations. The Flames currently have under $500k in projected cap space this season and the Canadiens have none, so any trade involving roster players needs to be balanced from a cap hit perspective.
I recently put together armchair GM plans for both teams that provide some additional context to the trade proposal below. Check them out here:
Armchair GM: Calgary Flames (Nov 2021)
Armchair GM: Montreal Canadiens (Nov 2021)
The Proposal
Date: Nov 10, 2021
To Calgary Flames:
- Artturi Lehkonen (Final year @ $2.3M cap hit, RFA on expiry, age 26)
To Montreal Canadiens:
- Dillon Dube (3 years remaining @ 2.3M cap hit, RFA on expiry, age 23)
- Jakob Pelletier (3 years remaining on ELC @ $863k cap hit, waivers exempt, RFA on expiry, age 20)
2021-2022 Performance
Artturi Lehkonen
Artturi Lehkonen has been a bright spot in a generally dismal season for the Canadiens. His projected impact for the 21/22 season was a borderline top line forward and he’s managed to perform to that level in spite of the chaos in Montreal. He has been strong defensively, with a 5v5 xGA/60 that ranks below the 25th percentile among NHL forwards. His on-ice 5v5 GF/60 is below projected, however his individual production has been above projections indicating his on-ice numbers may be more reflective of his linemates’ play than his own. At age 26, Lehkonen doesn’t fit well with the target window for the Habs’ rebuild so he provides Montreal with a trade chip to help them rebuild. The Flames third line could use an upgrade and slotting Lehkonen into the middle six to replace Dube would be just that.
Dillon Dube
Dillon Dube has struggled to adapt under Darryl Sutter and is one of only a few Flames skaters who have struggled defensively this season. Offensively, he is outperforming projections and he could bring some needed offensive skill to the Canadiens middle six. With the Canadiens target contention window 4-5 years out, Dube projects to have a top six forward impact by the start of the window.
Jakob Pelletier
Jakob Pelletier is off to a strong start in the AHL this season. Hockey Prospecting has him ranked with a high probability of becoming an NHL regular, although his star potential is very low. At age 20, Pelletier will be just entering his prime at the start of the target contention window for the Canadiens and looks like a good bet to fill a bottom 6 role.
Your Call
If you were sitting in the GM’s chair for one of these teams, would you pull the trigger on this trade?
