Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
The Montreal-based journalist Arpon Basu has just raised the possibility of a trade involving the Montreal Canadiens and the Calgary Flames.
It already feels like the trade deadline is approaching, and Kent Hughes isn’t done shaking things up.
Just a few weeks ago, the Montreal Canadiens brought Phillip Danault back from Los Angeles in exchange for a second-round pick in 2026. Danault is 32 years old, carries a $5.5M cap hit, and his contract runs through the end of the 2026-27 season.
The Canadiens were clearly looking for help down the middle. But even with that addition, there is still a chair to fill in the lineup. Not a star chair, but one that brings energy and grit.
“The Canadiens nabbed No. 9 on the list when they acquired center Phillip Danault from the Kings one hour before the holiday trade freeze, but they still have trade capital and Coleman plays a hard game, kills penalties, can pitch in on the power play and has Stanley Cup pedigree. But the real beauty is he has one year left on his contract after this one, same as Danault, Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson. By 2027-28, the Canadiens should be ready to truly hand the team over to their youngest players. Until then, players such as Coleman and Danault can help serve as a veteran bridge.”
– Arpon Basu
Proposed move: Blake Coleman to the Montreal Canadiens via trade
Blake Coleman is 34 years old, and his fit for Montreal is easy to understand.
He carries a $4.9M cap hit, and his contract also expires in 2026-27. This season in Calgary, he has 13 goals and 21 points in 42 games, putting him on pace for roughly 26 goals. And if you go back to 2023-24, he scored 30 goals in 78 games, a true calling card.
The Canadiens wouldn’t just be buying goals. Coleman has already won the Stanley Cup twice, in 2020 and 2021, and he knows what it takes to play when the pressure is on. In a young locker room, that kind of experience always carries weight, especially when you’re aiming to go on a real run.
The other angle is Calgary. The Flames are stuck in a tough race in the Western Conference. If things continue to slide, the idea of turning a veteran into draft picks becomes logical.
Montreal, meanwhile, has flexibility with its picks and prospect pool to build an offer without emptying the cupboard. Is this just an idea thrown out there, or a file that could gain momentum?
Let’s just say that, for once, the fit is easy to imagine.
What about you, do you like this proposal?
Previously on Montreal Hockey Fanatics