Trade Market: Update Live from Vancouver, the Canadiens Are Officially Linked to Forward Anthony Beauvillier

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Elias Edmonson
November 10, 2023 (8:24 PM)

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A few weeks ago, David Pagnotta from TheFourhPeriod site stated that the Canucks had placed Conor Garland's name on the trade market. According to him, the Ducks, Flyers, Sharks, and Canadiens were teams that could have played the role of a third party in the transaction.

Then, there was this rumor which mentioned that Martin St-Louis was trying to convince Kent Hughes to acquire the small forward Conor Garland. It was to be taken with a grain of salt, but the fact that Pagnotta had stated that the CH could be in the game made this speculation more plausible.

However, things seem to have changed in Vancouver. As Grady Sas now reports, the player leaving the Canucks would no longer be Garland, but Anthony Beauvillier.

« Sounds like the Canucks are looking to move Anthony Beauvillier instead of Conor Garland now. Tocchet likes Garland's game. With Blueger nearing a return and Höglander playing solid, there's a logjam up front.»

If this is indeed the case, it would not be surprising that the CH's GM inquired about the price. Indeed, Beauvillier is a former client of Hughes and the two men seem to have kept in touch. Hughes even contacted the Quebec player earlier this season, before acquiring veteran Tanner Pearson.

The links between the CH and Beauvillier are not new. Long before the arrival of Kent Hughes at the helm of the club, during Marc Bergevin's time, his name was often linked to the Montreal club. The arrival of the new staff in town did not change the situation as the CH indeed attempted to acquire the now 26-year-old player as recently as the summer of 2022.

According to Jimmy Murphy, from the site Montreal Hockey Now, Hughes wanted to conclude a transaction in which he sent a player with a contract to New York [Mike Hoffman?]. The Islanders' GM, Lou Lamoriello, apparently wanted picks or prospects and no salary in return for Beauvillier. The transaction did not take place and the Quebecer eventually ended up in Vancouver in January 2023.

Beauvillier had a 40-point season in 82 games last year with the Islanders and Canucks. This season, he has scored two goals and three assists, for a total of five points in twelve games. He will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the current campaign as his three-year contract, which earned him $4.15M annually, expires.