Surprising hubs name on Sportsnet trade candidate list

The Montreal Canadiens made one important trade this offseason. Sean Monahan was traded to the Winnipeg Jets for a first-round pick and a conditional third-round pick that would come to Montreal if the Jets win the Stanley Cup this season.

We expect them to continue selling until the March 8 trade deadline, which is now less than four weeks away. Some players seem like logical trade chips, like Jake Allen, Tanner Pearson and David Savard.

There is no guarantee that any of them will be traded, but Allen would make a solid backup for the opposing team, Savard would add defensive depth for the team, and Pearson is in the final year of his contract, meaning the Canadiens will trade him.

Those three players are on the trade block, confirmed by a recent report from Sportsnet. They released their list of potential trade candidates before the trade deadline, and the expected Canadiens were among those on the list. Allen, Savard and Pearson were named on the list of 30 players who could be traded this offseason.

Jordan Harris also made a surprise appearance on the list.

With the logs in the defense, this shouldn't be as surprising as it first appears. The Canadiens have many options that favor the left side of the ice in the back. Mike Matheson, Kaiden Goulet, Arber Hekaj and Harris all shoot left and are good enough to be everyday NHL defensemen.

Lane Hutson will soon join the list and there are too many shooters. You could logically suggest moving some of them to the right side, but David Savard and Jonathan Kovacevic will be coming up soon, along with Logan Maillu, Justin Barron and David Reinbacher.

It's a stretch, and Sportsnet believes it could be Harris' replacement soon. They even suggest the Calgary Flames are a team to watch as they lose some veteran defensemen and could use some young help on the back end.

A trade for Harris makes sense because he likely won't win over Matheson, Guhle or Hutson, leaving him in a battle with Hekaid to even consider a roster spot. Moving one of them when they already have high trade value could work, and maybe they could get a young prospect instead.

The Flames won't be moving their best young forwards like Connor Zary or Matt Coronato for Harris, but perhaps Cole Schwindt will be traded to teams that trade their power.

I think it makes sense to dangle him to the Tampa Bay Lightning for the picks they were willing to give up recently for Tanner Jeanneau, Branden Hagel and Barclay Goodrow. His low price tag of $1.4 million this season and next makes him attractive to any suitor.

There is no rush to make a trade, but the Canadiens can't afford to carry all of these defensemen at once. If they want Hutson to play in the NHL, or if they want to give Justin Barron another look, or if Logan Mailloux gets a taste of life in the big leagues, they're going to have to trade someone.

Harris seems like a logical trade candidate when you break it down, but it was surprising to see his name on Sportsnet's list of trade candidates.