On Friday, Marc Bergein traded two mid-round draft picks to the Buffalo Sabres for veteran center Eric Staal. In this extra episode of Habsent Minded, you can hear Patrik Bexell and Anton Rasegård’s take on the trade and where Staal could fit into the current Montreal lineup.
Since Buffalo accepted to retain half of Staal’s salary, it’s not an expensive deal by any means for the Habs. However, the front office is playing checkers with the cap right now, which could mean that other roster moves, to free up a smidge of cap space, are yet to come.
In other news, Cole Caufield unfortunately did not get to crown his stellar season with a title since his Wisconsin Badgers were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in an opening-round shocker. Bemidji State may have won by 6-3, but Caufield continued to impress, potting two goals and an assist in what, with all probability, was his very last college game. What’s next for Caufield? Is he NHL-ready, or should we pump the brakes and let him marinate in the AHL for a while before he takes that final step into the Canadiens’ lineup?
