Trade Pending Involving Joel Armia? A Well-Respected Journalist Has Made a Massive Claim

Even with the departures of Rem Pitlick and Mike Hoffman during the offseason, the surplus of forwards within the organization could potentially prevent some young players from securing a spot with the team, but also, some veterans might struggle to make the cut for the 12 forward slots.

Among the veterans who might be left out by Martin St-Louis when the regular season kicks off, Joel Armia's name is often mentioned and, as reported by Danslescoulisses.com, the Finnish forward's days might be numbered with the Canadiens.

This is at least the opinion of Stu Cowan, veteran journalist at the Montreal Gazette, who wouldn't be surprised at all if Joel Armia is already on his way out.

We have heard here and there that Kent Hughes would try by all means to trade the veteran, but his contract is most likely a burden for the organization.

He will earn a salary of 3.4 million dollars until 2025, and let's say his low production of 28 points, including only 13 goals in 103 games over the last two years, does not make him attractive to other teams.

There's always the option to assign him to the Laval Rocket before the start of the season, to save his salary this year, but would Jean-François Houle want to rely on a veteran who might lose all motivation if he ends up in the American League?

That said, unless Joel Armia suddenly stands out during training camp and becomes the player he was during the 2021 playoffs, we might well witness the final moments of this former first-round pick in 2011 in the Canadiens' uniform.