No Canadiens Regrets over Losing Harris’ Stability in Laine Trade – The Hockey Writers Canadiens Transactions Latest News, Analysis & More

Maybe the Montreal Canadiens do miss defenseman Jordan Harris. They should, based on how their defense hasn’t exactly looked up to snuff so far this 2024-25 season… but not to the point they should regret having traded him away to acquire Patrik Laine (and a second-round pick).

Needless to say, the Canadiens undeniably could have used more of the defensive stability for which Harris is known against the Pittsburgh Penguins in their 6-3 loss on Oct. 14 (and overall so far this season, having been outplayed over long stretches). And the fact that Laine is significantly injured, out for an estimated two months, technically means the Habs are net-negative regarding how the trade has shook out, currently.

Laine Over Harris

In other words, all things being equal, the Canadiens would obviously prefer to have Harris right now than an injured Laine, all due respect to the latter. However, all things are not equal as the Habs have seemingly decided to keep prospect and fellow-lefthanded defenseman Lane Hutson in the NHL, as opposed to starting him off in the minors (despite a solid case to that effect). So, there wouldn’t even be room for Harris based on how the defensive pairings have materialized, with both Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron now on one-way deals. 

Ultimately, as has been widely acknowledged, Harris, despite holding value as a steady, all-around defenseman, was always going to have a hard time gaining traction in the lineup due to the quality of the young defensemen coming up in the Canadiens system. That arguably makes the second-round pick they got back worth it all on its own for the one-time third-round pick, regardless of how Laine pans out once healthy over the balance of the two-year term left on his deal.

You can always argue Harris deserved more ice time than the 17:28 per game he got with the Canadiens last season, based on his play. He may even have made more of a difference for the better against the Penguins, considering Hutson ended the contest with a minus-4 rating (and no points). However, such an argument amounts to a knee-jerk reaction based on the fan fare Hutson has received up to this point after having scored six points in his first six career games. 

Canadiens Go All in with Hutson

Right or wrong for the Canadiens to have foregone his development at the American Hockey League level, that they’re playing Hutson 21:08 per game shows they’re true to their word. General manager Kent Hughes had previously gone on record as saying they wouldn’t keep Hutson up just to play on the power play. That’s just what they’re doing.

It shows the Canadiens have Hutson’s best interests at heart and by extension those of the organization as a whole. He can obviously stand to be more defensively sound. However, when the Habs have shown a willingness to change up the pairings to put him with another all-around defenseman in Kaiden Guhle (in whom the Habs obviously have more invested than they did with Harris) with overwhelmingly positive results, it puts things in perspective.

Hutson isn’t the problem. Harris wouldn’t be the solution. In fact, Hutson projects to be part of it to a greater extent looking long term. Currently though, the Canadiens’ issues, if you can call them that (as they’re still rebuilding and are, even so, 2-2, making it far from time to press the panic button), aren’t the cause of any one player.

Related: NHL Rebuild Rankings: 2024-25 Preseason Edition

For what it’s worth, Jayden Struble, who impressed in the preseason and might have a similarly positive impact on the lineup as Harris, is currently injured, out short term. Once he returns and the Canadiens have had a decent time to adjust, it may be worthwhile to reassess.

However, it’s critical to note, even though organic, year-over-year growth in the standings is expected, the Canadiens simply aren’t to make the playoffs. Maybe they will. Maybe they won’t. It’s too early to tell. And it’s too early to get carried away over one bad game, when it was always going to be a season of developmental growth and on-ice mistakes anyway. One thing’s for sure: The Laine trade wasn’t an off-ice one.