As expected, the Habs have moved Nate Thompson in advance of the trade deadline, sending him to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2021 fifth-round pick.
The 35-year-old played himself into a regular role with Montreal this season, playing in 63 games where he picked up 14 points and won over 55% of his faceoffs. However, with the Canadiens outside of the playoff picture and him being an unrestricted free agent this summer, a move was basically a foregone conclusion.
Assuming Montreal doesn’t make any moves to add someone today, it will be interesting to see what they do to fill that spot. Jesperi Kotkaniemi is averaging an assist per game in Laval but hasn’t scored yet and a fourth line role doesn’t make sense for him. Ryan Poehling isn’t doing much with the Rocket so more time down there would be beneficial. Jake Evans didn’t look out of place in a brief stint with Montreal earlier this month and he might be the early favourite for the job.
The Habs now have 46 contracts on the books out of the maximum of 50 and are now supplementing their 2021 draft picks. They’re now up to nine for that draft (and still have 13 for the one coming in June).