Canadiens trade lands Mark Scheifele for massive package including two firsts and more in blockbuster proposal
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A mock trade has the Canadiens sending Oliver Kapanen, Bryce Pickford, Sam Montembeault and two firsts to the Jets for Mark Scheifele with 25% salary retained.
The Montreal Canadiens are already circling Mark Scheifele, and one mock trade shows what it might take to pull it off.
The idea has Winnipeg getting Oliver Kapanen, Bryce Pickford, Sam Montembeault and two first-round picks, with the Jets keeping 25% of Scheifele's salary.
Montreal's interest is real, at least on the inquiry level.
Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos reported that the Habs asked about Scheifele after missing out on Dylan Larkin.
Nothing suggests the talks have gone anywhere, though.
What Winnipeg would get
Kapanen is 23 and has been slotted as Montreal's second-line center to open the season, so he'd be the real piece going back.
Pickford is the other eye-catcher.
The right-shot defenseman won CHL Defenceman of the Year after scoring 45 goals in 55 games for Medicine Hat, though he's recovering from shoulder surgery.
Montembeault gives the Jets a goalie, which matters with Connor Hellebuyck's name floating around in rumors.
That's a steep price for a center who turned 33 in March.
Scheifele put up a career-best 103 points last season, and his $8.5 million cap hit runs through 2030-31.
With 25% retained, Montreal would carry about $6.4 million of it.
Roadblocks in the way
The biggest one is Scheifele himself.
He holds a full no-movement clause this season, and there's no sign he wants out of Winnipeg.
Fans in Montreal might also remember the 2021 playoff hit that sent Jake Evans off on a stretcher and earned Scheifele a four-game suspension.
Winnipeg would be expected to ask for plenty for a 103-point center.
As a mock exercise, it checks plenty of boxes for Winnipeg and gives Montreal the second-line center it has been chasing.
Still, two firsts plus three real assets is a lot to pay for a 33-year-old, and Scheifele would have to approve it first.
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