Trade in the Works: Vancouver Canucks Scout at Back-to-Back Montreal Canadiens Games

As everyone knows by now, Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin has been very active on the trade market to begin the 2025-26 season as he continues to search for upgrades to his roster, primarily at the forward position.

Making a trade at this time of year is never easy because, for starters, it's still very early on in the season and teams are still trying to figure out if they're capable of being in the mix for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but with that being said, some clubs, like the Vancouver Canucks, are taking a proactive approach and starting to see who they could target later on in the 2025-26 campaign.

On Thursday night, as the Montreal Canadiens welcomed the Nashville Predators to town, Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette shared the list of scouts that were in attendance for that contest and among them was Patrick Leblond of the Vancouver Canucks.

Flash forward to last night, as the Montreal Canadiens took on the New York Rangers in an Original Six battle on Hockey Night in Canada, and Leblond was back in press box scouting Martin St. Louis' group.

The Canadiens and Canucks have been trade partners in the past, most recently in September of 2023 when Montreal dealt Casey DeSmith to Vancouver in exchange for Tanner Pearson and a third round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

As for what Leblond could be looking for in Montreal, that remains unclear, as the Canadiens are expected to compete for a Stanley Cup Playoffs spot once again and it's unlikely that they'll move a big name off of their roster.

One player to keep an eye on however is Finnish forward Patrik Laine, who is day-to-day with an injury at the moment, hasn't had the greatest start to the 2025-26 season and is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

With Patrik Allvin looking for a middle-six forward, potentially someone who can put the puck in the back of the net, Patrik Laine might be a good fit for Adam Foote's group, especially on the power play, but his $8.7 million salary might be a bit too much for the club to add.