Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin is no stranger to NHL trade deadline deals.
He traded for Thomas Vanek last year. He poached Michael Ryder from the Dallas Stars the season before that. He's not afraid to enact a deal when he sees a problem area or a chance to upgrade.
Now that the Habs are hovering near a playoff spot - the Canadiens continue to win despite being consistently outshot - and the Arizona Coyotes are in full-on, "sell" mode, it's not hard to connect the dots and see a possible deal between the two sides for center Antoine Vermette.
TSN's Elliotte Friedman, when he appeared on Calgary's Sportsnet 960, said that he believes there is a "perfect fit" between the two sides and that Bergevin could be one of the main suitors rumored to be circling a deal for Vermette, according to NicholsOnHockey.com.
"I really wonder if Montreal is one of the teams that's leading the charge on Vermette. He'd be a perfect fit for them. He's the kind of guy that Marc Bergevin trades for. If you look at his history guys, the deals he's made - a lot of UFAs. Thomas Vanek. He tried for Raffi Torres, but didn't like the price and eventually backed away," Friedman said.
"But you look at the guys he went out and got - Michael Ryder. They've all been guys who have been UFAs-to-be. To me, Vermette is a perfect fit for the Montreal Canadiens. And I wonder if Bergevin is one of the guys that's trying to land him."
The 32-year-old Vermette is a tough, big, do-it-all centerman who plays the full 200-feet of the ice.
He's got 11 goals and 20 assists for the moribund Arizona franchise this season and the pending unrestricted free agent is, according to a separate report from Friedman, very much available to be had in trade.
For the Habs, continually depending on goalie Carey Price to bail the team out night after night isn't a recipe for post-season success.
Adding a possession player and faceoff maven like Vermette could be massive boon to the Canadien's playoff hopes.
