David Jiricek was traded to the Minnesota Wild by the Columbus Blue Jackets for Daemon Hunt and four draft picks. Columbus received a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, third and fourth-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. The Blue Jackets were looking ahead, and seeing a dissatisfied prospect would not help, so they maximized their return while also trading him out of the conference.
Related: Patrik Laine’s Return Will Have a Major Impact on the Canadiens
When it comes to the Montreal Canadiens, there will always be a vocal group of fans that would like to see general manager (GM) Kent Hughes go and make a trade for the latest target of the NHL news cycle, especially when the club is being linked to the player in the rumour mill. However, that doesn’t mean it is a good idea or would help in the club’s rebuild plans, especially when he is not what they are looking to add to their blue line.
Canadiens Walk Away
A late first-round pick, along with some other secondary picks and pieces is not what many would claim was a great return on a very recent sixth overall pick (2022). Especially when it is a player that fits into a highly coveted position, a right-handed puck-moving defenceman who also happens to be 6-foot-3. Players with that kind of pedigree are rarely available, especially at only 20 years of age. Several teams could have benefited from his skill set, Columbus included. It is somewhat confusing as to why the Blue Jackets did not let Jiricek play through his growing pains at the NHL level, especially as they are not in search of a playoff berth.
The Canadiens are no strangers to dealing with the Blue Jackets, having sent defenceman Jordan Harris to Columbus this past offseason in exchange for Patrik Laine and a 2026 second-round pick. Another large trade was made back in 2020; Montreal traded Max Domi and a third-round pick for Josh Anderson. The question for Montreal is, why not go in on acquiring a player like Jiricek? Especially considering what seems to be an underwhelming return for Columbus. After all, the Canadiens are familiar with the defender thanks to the scouting work done ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft. The answer is there in front of us. They knew his game, they knew the cost, and they decided to pass.
Marco D’amico of RG.org learned from one NHL scout who knew of the interest. “The scouting reports that we’ve put out on Jiricek question his foot speed, hockey sense and defensive positioning,” said a pro scout. “It’s very easy for a couch GM to sit there and watch highlight reels and think he’s the answer. But there’s a lot of risk around players like that, and, if you’re in Montreal and watching Dach or Newhook play right now, are you going to blow all your assets on such a risk? I wouldn’t.”
First, the cost. The Canadiens do have a treasure trove of draft picks, so that wouldn’t hurt as much as it seems at first, yet, the addition of a first-round pick could have, especially if Hughes had other plans for its use this summer. Then there is Columbus looking to add a young, solid puck-moving defender. While Montreal does boast a large number of left-handed defenders of that style, to match someone like Hunt it could have taken someone like Adam Engstrom, or perhaps even Arber Xhekaj, especially if Hughes wanted to hold onto his first-round picks.
Secondly, does Jiricek bring anything unique to the Canadiens? Not really. While David Reinbacher is missing the majority of this season due to injury, he is on the same development arc as Jiricek. Then there is also the emerging play of Logan Mailloux, whose offensive output at the lower levels eclipses that of Jiricek’s. Finally, there is the fact that he also is not what the Canadiens are in search of from a right-handed defender.
Canadiens True Target
Montreal has five key players that they are waiting to graft onto the core. Executive vice president Jeff Gorton named Ivan Demidov, Michael Hage, David Reinbacher, Logan Mailloux and Jacob Fowler. Note that two of those are right-handed puck-moving defenders.
Some high-level insights from within the Canadiens organization. 🧠
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Jeff Gorton, executive vice president of hockey operations, joins the desk. #NHLonPrime pic.twitter.com/8aPj0qw4nb
The Canadiens are likely looking at a top 10 draft pick in 2025, and one Matthew Schaefer is seen as a future top-pairing defender who can play both the left and right side of the blue line and is expected to be the offensive catalyst for Team Canada at the upcoming World Junior Championship being held in Ottawa this holiday season.
In a rebuild, it isn’t always best to just keep adding youth, even when it is highly touted as Jiricek had been. At a certain point, moves need to be made to support and insulate the youth that is already on the roster, and in the system. GMs will not want to bring in assets that will end up serving as roadblocks to their young prospects. Instead, they want the veteran presence that will mentor them along, while also helping to provide consistent play to help the team add wins, and play in meaningful games near the end of the season.
Veteran leadership on the blue line is needed to steady the performances of the youngsters, who have had inconsistent play, ranging from troublesome to amazing. A source confirmed that Montreal was in on the Jacob Trouba sweepstakes. A big, physical, veteran right-shot defender that Gorton is familiar with from his time with the New York Rangers. The 6-foot-3 212-pounder is under contract for one more season at $8 million and could have brought a stabilizing force on the top pairing on the right side if he had been willing to waive his modified no-trade clause for Montreal. That is what Marc Bergevin had hoped to bring in with the signing of David Savard, someone to bring that leadership and grit lost with Shea Weber all but retired due to injury.
In the meantime, keeping Savard is an option being contemplated as an “own rental,” giving the club a chance to remain “in the mix” until the end of the season, even though he is likely to be highly coveted at the trade deadline due to the thin market for right-handed defenders. Looking forward, it’s clear that management doesn’t want to leave the young blueliners, such as Mailloux or Reinbacher, without support. With the thin market on defenders that fit the age group of the current Canadiens core, it’s unlikely to be a file Hughes can sort out until the summer of 2025.
