The Montreal Canadiens greatly improved their team a year ago when they traded Alex Galchenyuk to the Arizona Coyotes for Max Domi. Galchenyuk had failed to consistently live up to expectations in Montreal and Domi exploded for career highs in all offensive categories during his first season in Montreal.
The Habs targeted the Coyotes once again leading up to the trade deadline when they swapped Michael Chaput for Jordan Weal. Chaput struggled during his short stint with the Canadiens, but Weal scored ten points in 16 games in Montreal after having just two points in 19 games with the Coyotes.