While the Montreal Canadiens have been linked to a few possible trade partners this season, there is one team Habs GM Marc Bergevin has been heavily scouting; the Chicago Blackhawks. According to a report by NBC Sports' Charlie Roumeliotis, Bergevin himself has been "spotted multiple times at the United Center this season, including Sunday, and has made several trips to Rockford as well." Rockford would be Chicago's AHL affiliate.
There is a connection there. Before Bergevin became the general manager of the Canadiens, he served as a professional scout, assistant coach, director of player personnel and, eventually, assistant general manager of the Blackhawks. He's also pulled off a few trades with Chicago since coming on with Montreal, including picking up Phillip Danault in exchange for Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise in 2016. He also snagged a second-round draft pick in that trade that became defenseman Alexander Romanov. There is also two trades involving Andrew Shaw, with the Habs picking him up from Chicago in 2016 and then trading him back to the Blackhawks in 2019.
So what is Bergevin after from Chicago now? According to Roumeliotis, a left-handed shot defenseman, something the Blackhawks have a surplus of.
"Erik Gustafsson, most notably, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and there haven't been any talks about a possible extension to this point, according to a source," wrote Roumeliotis.
Something to keep an eye on as the trade deadline draws nearer.
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