Trade Pitch Has Canadiens Acquiring $36.6 Million Defensemen

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are nearing the end of their rebuild and one trade pitch has the team acquiring three-time Stanley Cup champion defenseman Kris Letang from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

A report came out from Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLive that there were discussions to deal Letang to Montreal. Following the report, the website PuckPedia has a new tool called PuckGM that lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Canadiens acquire Letang from the Penguins.

Canadiens get:

Kris Letang

Valtteri Puustinen

Penguins get:

Josh Anderson

Jordan Harris

2025 second-round pick

The main player in the proposed deal is Letang. The defenseman is entering the third year of his six-year $36.6 million deal. Letang would immediately help bolster the Canadiens defense, while also getting the chance to play for his hometown team.

The defenseman also adds some much-needed veteran leadership and experience of winning the Stanley Cup to Montreal’s lineup as he has won three in his career.

Valterri Puustinen, meanwhile, has skated in 53 NHL games recording 5 goals and 16 assists for 21 points as the 25-year-old is more of an AHL player.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, would have to take on Josh Anderson’s contract to make the money work in moving Letang. Anderson has three years left on his seven-year $38.5 million deal. Last season with Montreal, Anderson recorded 9 goals and 11 assists for 20 points in 78 games.

The big part of the package for the Penguins is Jordan Harris and the 2025 second-round pick. Harris is a 24-year-old defenseman who has skated in 131 NHL games and could slide into Letang’s role on the Penguins defense, while also making Pittsburgh a younger team which is a goal.

Insider Links Letang to Canadiens

Letang to Montreal really started to get momentum earlier in August after Madden reported that Pittsburgh had discussions on trading the defensemen to the Canadiens.

“I heard there were discussions about trying to get Letang to Montreal at Letang’s request, but nothing came of that. So I don’t know where this is headed,” Madden said on the Madden Monday podcast on August 5.

Last season, Letang recorded 10 goals and 41 assists for 51 points in all 82 games. Despite playing in all of the games, he did deal with an injury which hindered his play.

Penguins GM Wants to Get Younger

Pittsburgh failed to make the playoffs last season, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas says he is hoping to make the team younger.

Although Dubas wants Pittsburgh to remain competitive and compete for a playoff spot, the GM says the goal is to thread the needle between being competitive and being younger.

“You’re trying to thread that needle, and when there are players who have that success in that marketplace anything you do that isn’t seen as doing everything for them, it can be seen as a slight,” Dubas said.

“I knew that coming in and that’s part of the role. There are going to be hard decisions with some of this stuff that won’t fit what the public and local groups or even people throughout the hockey would think is the best way to treat all those people who had success with the team. But you have to always anchor it with what’s right for the long term of the Pittsburgh Penguins.”

Pittsburgh will open its 2024-25 NHL season on Oct. 9 at home against the New York Rangers.

Tags: Montreal Canadiens