With the Canadiens now in the playoff picture, the trade deadline suddenly becomes quite interesting in Montreal. The club has impending unrestricted free agents (Jake Evans, David Savard, Joel Armia, etc.) for whom a contending team could pay… but if the Habs are still in the top-8 (or close to it) by mid-February, it will be difficult to trade them.

And above all, it would seriously hurt the morale of the club, which is exceeding expectations right now. If the GM gives you the challenge of being in the mix, and you succeed but see your teammates leaving, that can become heavy.

That said, seeing them leave remains a possibility… and in his piece today for Daily Faceoff, Frank Seravalli has placed two Habs players on his trade targets list: Jake Evans… and Josh Anderson.

For Anderson, it’s particular because he is not a rental player (he has two more full years left on his contract) and he is expensive ($5.5 million per year) for his output, but…

There is still interest in Josh Anderson. – Frank Seravalli

This season, the 30-year-old veteran has scored six goals and 15 points in 40 games. This is a disappointing output considering his salary… but Anderson still finds a way to contribute.

He is still a big guy who skates fast… and this year, he has reinvented himself as a quality player on the penalty kill. He is more in a support role, but he helps the Habs win games.

The big question now is who would be willing to pay to acquire Anderson. Retaining salary is not feasible for the Habs in the current situation (the club is already using two of its three salary retention spots for Jake Allen and Jeff Petry), and one might wonder if the best value for the veteran isn’t in town.

Anderson is not a perfect player, and getting rid of that contract wouldn’t be a bad thing in the long term. That said, he is a good veteran in the locker room who doesn’t complain (at least not openly) about his reduced role… and if the Habs make the playoffs, he is exactly the kind of player who could help Martin St. Louis’s group win games.

I really don’t believe in a scenario where he is traded by the deadline, therefore. I don’t really believe that about Jake Evans either, by the way… but in his case, his contract status makes it a bit more logical.

Especially since in his piece, Seravalli indicates he is not sold on the idea that the Habs are ready to pay a high price to sign Evans long-term. Let’s recall that yesterday, Renaud Lavoie suggested that “it’s only a matter of time before it happens”… even if some doubt it.

So we will need to see how the Canadiens navigate the waters leading up to March 7, which will be the last day to finalize trades. But clearly, there are big decisions waiting for the Habs… and if Josh Anderson draws interest before then, it will complicate matters even more.

In Brief

– More good words for Lane Hutson.

– It will do him good.

– Some interesting insights in there.

– Justin Verlander joins the Giants.