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NHL Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens Should Consider Trading Tom Gilbert

By @nick_villano

Tom Gilbert

Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

The Montreal Canadiens have been the busiest team on the early trade market this season. They made one trade in which they dumped Travis Moen on the Dallas Stars in exchange for Sergei Gonchar. Then, they made a trade with the Anaheim Ducks where they sent Rene Bourque in exchange for Bryan Allen. Both these deals have one thing in common: they took on less years than they were giving away.

Tom Gilbert is probably going to be the next man out. He is on the books for this year and next. He isn’t a crucial part of the team. He is great at taking up minutes without making any crucial mistakes.

Gilbert has been great on the defensive end, but leaves something to be desired on the offensive end. He has a +5 plus/minus right now. The only person on the team with better is Alexei Emelin. He has value as a defenseman.

The issue with this deal is that Montreal just signed Gilbert. He came over from the Florida Panthers this offseason, signing a two-year deal worth $2.8 million a season. He is on a very friendly contract. There is no absolute need to trade him, but they should test the market.

Since there is no need to trade Gilbert, the Canadiens should wait and see who ends up coming onto the market. Last season, Marian Gaborik came onto the market late and ended up swinging the Stanley Cup Finals. The Canadiens are looking for that type of player this year. They are legit Cup contenders. Gilbert would be a great piece in a trade for a team that needs defense.

Again, the Canadiens are not in dire straights to trade Gilbert. With the current additions, he is expendable for this season. If the right deal comes along, they should pounce on it. If it takes dangling Gilbert, they should give it a shot.

Nick Villano is the New Jersey Devils writer for Rant Sports. He also adds to the site’s NBA, MLB and NFL content. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your Google circle.

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