Failed three-team trade exposed on radio in Montreal!

Last month, it was reported by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that the Canadiens and the Oilers had a deal in place in which Montreal would have signed defenseman John Klingberg to a one-year contract as a free agent before trading him to Edmonton with 50 percent of his salary withheld in return for compensation. It would have been a first in NHL history for a team to sign an unrestricted free agent and then immediately trade him. However, we all know how Klingberg signed with the Anaheim Ducks and the deal never happened.

Well it seems like another big trade did not take place in Montreal this summer. Fans got to find out about it thanks to Chantal Machabée, Vice President, Communications of the Canadiens, who is also a former reporter for the team. On the air of 98,5 Radio, she revealed how GM Kent Hughes approached her with the idea of acquiring a Francophone player in a trade, but a transaction that would see that player move elsewhere. Machabée expressed her concern and convinced the general manager to abort the trade in order to keep the respect of the fanbase and not anger them with how they could have treated the player in a quick three-team move.

For French speaking fans you can hear the interview here below:

This information allowed fans to get a better in-depth look on how Hughes runs the team’s front office and how he tries by all means to improve his roster, even if he has to resort to different methods. It is also very refreshing to see how he values the opinions of Machabée in tough situations.

We bet there are fans and pundits out there already trying to figure out which player this failed three-team trade involved!

Your guess?