McGuire Reveals Canadiens' GM Hughes Tried To Trade A Veteran 3 Years Ago

Speaking to Tony Marinaro on The Sick Podcast, new postgame collaborator Pierre McGuire said something interesting about a player who's on an expiring contract with the Montreal Canadiens.

When Kent Hughes took over the Canadiens after Marc Bergevin was dismissed, he knew what he had to do and he started trading veterans out, starting with Tyler Toffoli and followed by Ben Chiarot, Brett Kulak and Artturi Lehknonen, but there was another player he tried to move.

McGuire, who worked for the Ottawa Senators at the time explained Joel Armia was offered to the Sens as part of a larger trade that didn't come to fruition. In other words, when Hughes tooks over in 2022, he looked at that four-year contract with a $3.4 M cap hit per season signed less than a year earlier and thought he wanted to trade it.

Now, nearly three years later, Armia finds himself on an expiring deal and since the Canadiens will likely be sellers at the deadline, many are hoping Hughes flips the Big Finn for picks, but that may well be easier said then done.

Right now, Armia finds himself down on the fourth line after enjoying an extended (and unproductive) stay on the second line following Patrik Laine's injury. While the coach said he knew what Armia could provide him with in the top six in the wake of his new acquisition's injury, he failed to deliver playing alongside Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook.

Related: Canadiens: Armia In the Top Six?

He now finds himself on the fourth line, playing alongside Emil Heineman and AHL call-up Lucas Condotta which does absolutely nothing to improve his market value. As things stands, it could be an issue for Hughes to unload him at the deadline.

If letting Jake Evans go would be a mistake, letting Armia skate into the sunset would seem like the logical decision. He has skills but he's inconsistent offensively speaking. The one downside would be losing his effectiveness on the penalty kill, but there are plenty of suitors who would love to get that chair, starting with Owen Beck.

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