Despite getting off to the hottest start in the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens are still looking to improve their roster.
According to Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos, the Habs are looking to add top-four defenseman via trade in order to take some of the load off of the team's veteran defenseman. It is believed that Montreal is concerned with the amount of ice time being logged by D-men Shea Weber and Andrei Markov.
"(Montreal) is concerned about the ice time and the weight on the shoulders of Shea Weber, who many feel ran out of gas toward the latter part of last season."
While the Canadiens do have a defenseman they drafted in the first round to take on a top-four role on the active roster, Kypreos believes that it's a "foregone conclusion" that Mikhail Sergachev will be sent back to the Ontario Hockey League's Windsor Spitfires shortly.
Sergachev, the ninth-overall pick in this year's draft, is the youngest player in the NHL right now, and will likely be given some time to develop in the minors before taking on the responsibility of a top-four role. Sergachev has dressed in three of the Canadiens' games, but has been a healthy scratch for the last five games.
The Canadiens could look to the Winnipeg Jets for their needs, as they have defenseman Jacob Trouba. The 22-year old made his request for a trade public this week, and his name has been circling the rumor mill for months now.
This could be the change of environment that Trouba is looking for, as the Canadiens are undefeated in regulation throughout the month of October.
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