With four NHL-ready goalies on their roster, it’s no secret that the Montreal Canadiens are experiencing a bit of congestion between the pipes — which means a trade involving at least one of them can be expected.
And earlier this week, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes revealed that the team would be open to trading netminder Casey DeSmith, who was acquired in an August trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins that briefly sent Jeff Petry back to Montreal.
Now, an opportunity for a deal seems to have presented itself.
On Thursday, NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported that the Colorado Avalanche “appear to be examining options on the goalie market” since backup Pavel Francouz has not completely recovered from an offseason surgery.
#Avs appear to be examining options on the goalie market. Sounds like Pavel Francouz has not completely recovered from his offseason adductor surgery and there is concern he will miss some time.
Francouz made just 16 starts for the Avalanche last season.@DailyFaceoff
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 14, 2023
Could DeSmith be their guy?
It would make a lot of sense for both teams.
On one hand, Colorado receives a temporary fix to their problem in the crease. On the other, rather than losing him for nothing via a waiver claim, Montreal could at least retain an asset for the 32-year-old backup goalie.
It’s worth noting that DeSmith, a dependable No. 2 in Pittsburgh for the past few years, posted better stats than anyone in Montreal last year with a 3.17 GAA, and .905 SV% over 38 games.
And despite his good numbers, DeSmith’s contract is a good bargain for any team willing to take it on.
With one year remaining on his deal, the New Hampshire native carries a cap hit of just $1.8 million for the 2023-24 season.