With Xhekaj Struggling, Two Defensemen Hit the Trade Market, Including a Former Canadien

According to what the DailyFaceoff network is reporting, defensemen Erik Gustafsson and Travis Hamonic have officially been placed on the trade market.

It didn't take long for them, as the season has barely begun.

Considering the fairly serious injury suffered by Kaiden Guhle and the fact that the Montreal Canadiens' management ideally wants to keep the young players with the Laval Rocket, could a Gustafsson or a Hamonic be a good very short-term (and very low-cost) solution for the Habs?

This will be a situation to follow possibly for the Montreal Canadiens, but especially for other NHL teams looking for defensive depth.

If you want a tough, defensive depth defenseman, Hamonic is your man.

If you want a mobile and more offensive depth defenseman, Gustafsson is your man.

Travis Hamonic, 35 years old, is a right-shot defenseman standing 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing 193 pounds, who has accumulated 242 points in 901 career NHL games, and who has played two games this season with the Detroit Red Wings.

Erik Gustafsson, 33 years old, is a left-shot defenseman standing 6 feet tall and weighing 190 pounds, who has accumulated 240 points in 515 career NHL games, and who played 60 games last season with the Detroit Red Wings.

Gustafsson also collected 31 points with the New York Rangers in 2024, 38 points in 61 games with the Washington Capitals in 2023, and his incredible 60 points in 79 games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019.

With Xhekaj's latest struggles, could Hughes be tempted to trade for one of those two depth defensemen while waiting for Kaiden Guhle to return from injury? To be continued.