Among the Montreal Canadiens players who have exceeded expectations this season, Joel Armia’s name stands out.

The Finnish forward is having a very respectable 2024-2025 campaign and, alongside Jake Evans, forms one of the league’s best penalty-killing duos this year.

Considering that last season he scored 17 goals in 66 games, we’re talking about a player who is meeting expectations, something that hasn’t always been the case since his arrival with the Montreal Canadiens in the summer of 2018.

It’s worth noting that he even started the 2023-2024 season with the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League.

That said, Kent Hughes’ patience with his enigmatic forward could be paying off, as, according to the media outlet RG.org, a source from the Western Conference has suggested that Joel Armia could hold significant trade value.

Good news for Joel Armia’s trade value

Here is the exact quote:

“His value across the league is much higher than some might think,” said a Western Conference source. – via RG.org

In fact, some teams might be willing to pay a second-round pick for Joel Armia’s services, and some sources even suggest that a first-round pick could also be possible.

Wow!

Just two years ago, nearly everyone was ready to give up on him, criticizing his lack of effort and intensity.

If Kent Hughes manages to secure a first- or second-round pick in return for Joel Armia, it will once again prove that the Canadiens’ GM knows how to negotiate and extract maximum value from a player that no one wanted not so long ago.