The trade deadline is approaching really fast, and things are already heating up in the NHL and with the Montreal Canadiens. March 7 is coming quickly, and we’re already seeing teams making moves to improve their lineup for the playoffs.

For the Montreal Canadiens, things are a bit more uncertain.

With their roller-coaster season, there’s a question of whether they’ll settle for being sellers or if they’ll try to bring in reinforcements.

According to Vincent Damphousse, it’s clear that the Habs will be sellers, and names like Jake Evans, Joel Armia, and David Savard will frequently come up in trade rumors.

But what’s surprising is that Mike Matheson is also attracting a lot of interest.

Kent Hughes is receiving serious calls about a trade involving Mike Matheson

I find it quite strange to think that Matheson could be moved.

His contract is a steal with the salary cap set to rise by $8 million, yet Kent Hughes is getting calls about him.

He might wait for an offer that’s impossible to refuse, especially with young players like Lane Hutson emerging.

What’s unique this year is that the Habs don’t just want to accumulate draft picks.

Hughes also wants to improve the team right now. He’s targeting a young NHL-ready forward and a top-four right-handed defenseman.

Two names keep coming up: Dylan Cozens and Noah Dobson.

If Hughes can find a way to combine these two objectives, we could see a trade sending someone like Evans or Savard elsewhere in exchange for an impactful young player.

In short, there’s still a month left before the deadline, and anything can happen. Hughes has cards to play, and in my opinion, he won’t just be selling, he could also be looking to improve his team right away.