The excellent combination of Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky will overshadow a nice play by another Montreal Canadiens duo in Tuesday night's 5-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks. In a two-on-one loss, Tanner Pearson served admirably to Jake Evans, who scored the first goal early in the second period.
Pearson, a 31-year veteran, could well be the next to leave Montreal via trade after Sean Monahan.
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The forward, who previously played for the Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks, is playing the final year of a three-year contract with a payroll impact of $3.25 million. He could therefore be entitled to complete autonomy on July 1st.
For another choice
Recall that on September 19, CH acquired Pearson and a third-round pick in the 2025 draft in exchange for goaltender Casey DeSmith. As a result, general manager Kent Hughes wanted to cut the Canucks' payroll, but by trading Pearson again, the CH could add another option, however late it may be.
The NHL trade deadline is less than a month away, Friday, March 8th.
In 34 games with the Canadian, Pearson collected nine points, including four goals. He also won the Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2014.