Alright hockey fans, grab your jerseys and popcorn, because Montreal’s own Tanner Pearson is gearing up to hit the ice once again. The Canadiens are tossing him back in the mix just in time for their rumble with the Ottawa Senators. After chilling on the injury bench with some mysterious upper-body woes since December 9th, he’s finally done riding the pine and is back in business, all after a tantalizing few days of practice teasing.
Let’s rewind the tape here. Pearson, who’s no rookie at 31, got traded to the Habs last September, and guess what? They also snagged themselves a “future is bright” 2025 third-rounder because why not? All this for netminder Casey DeSmith (Sorry bud, you’re outta this story). Anyway, Pearson’s start with the Canadiens was, well, not so hot: think lukewarm, like his four goals and four helpers in twenty-seven match-ups. Not exactly the fireworks show we were promised.
Forgive my snarkiness, but remember when Pearson was a goal-scoring machine? Yeah, me neither. It’s been a hot minute since he buried more than 15 pucks in a season – not since his days with the Vancouver Canucks, when he lit up the board with twenty-one sweet goals.
So here he is now, clocking the final lap of a three-year deal he inked with the Canucks way back in April of 2021. Drumroll, please, because he could be the golden ticket, the trade bait extraordinaire for the Canadiens come deadline day – but only if he proves he’s not just gathering dust.
Let me hit you with a little history: Pearson is rocking a shiny Stanley Cup ring from 2014, courtesy of some good times with the Los Angeles Kings. But since 2018, the dude’s been passed around more than a bag of half-eaten chips, getting dealt three times. And who’s to say? Maybe there’s another trade (or heck, even two) in his horizon.
Here’s the kicker: Pearson’s wallet is weighing in at a cap hit of a cool $3.25 million this year. In the grand bazaar of hockey trades, that’s sort of a bargain-bin score for what he could offer – experience, grit, and maybe a few clutch goals. Keep your eyes peeled, folks, if this guy sparks a hot streak in the next month or so, his name could be lighting up the trade ticker.