Joel Armia can breathe a sigh of relief: trading him would be counter-productive

Dose
Crédit: Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

I wonder if Jake Evans is having a good day… Hehe.

No joke, it’s the news of the day in Montreal: Evans and the Canadiens have agreed on the terms of a contract extension for him to stay in Montreal.

This is great news for the player, the fans… and the organization:

Naturally, this news changes everything.

Especially with the trade deadline in the NHL being on Friday.

Because we must not forget one thing: the Evans file has an impact on that of others in Montreal as well…

When I say that the Evans file has an impact on that of others in Montreal, I am mainly referring to Joel Armia.

Why?

Because in recent weeks, we have talked about the possibility of seeing Evans and Armia being traded together to get a more interesting return.

The two guys are excellent when they are on the ice in a numerical disadvantage, after all. They were seen as intriguing pieces for teams that want to fight until the end because the two players do not command an astronomical salary this season either.

But ultimately, Joel Armia can start to breathe a sigh of relief because trading him would be counterproductive.

It would be illogical to see Kent Hughes send him elsewhere when he has managed to come to an agreement with Evans… and when the Canadiens are in the middle of a playoff run in the East at the moment.

Anyway, by trading Joel Armia alone, it’s not like the Canadiens’ general manager is going to manage to get a first-round pick for his services.

Armia’s contract ends at the end of the season, of course… but at the moment, his value is higher in Montreal due to the team’s current situation.

Because we also know that the Finn has what it takes in his toolkit to help the Canadiens fight for the playoffs until the end of the campaign.

In rafale

– Nice move by the Oilers.

– To be continued.

– Oh yeah?

– Well done.

– Good.