Montreal Canadiens: Habs Trade for Fourth Liner During Trying Times

I didn't think that Brock Trotter really had a place with the Montreal Canadiens. I thought that he was a 24-year-old with top-six forward potential nearing his expiry date with the club.

I speculated that it may be a good idea to trade him for a gritty fourth-liner—preferably one that could win faceoffs.

Instead, general manager Pierre Gauthier settled for Petteri Nokelainen from the Phoenix Coyotes, along with AHL defenceman Garrett Stafford.

I'm sure Gauthier did some shopping and this was the best deal he could swing for Trotter.

I think that when Habs fans started hearing about a potential trade on Sunday morning, they were looking for something that would shake up the slumping (understatement of the season) 1-4-2 Montreal Canadiens.

Instead, they got Petteri Nokelainen.

The 25-year-old fourth-line Finnish centreman is no doubt an upgrade on the seemingly useless Andreas Engqvist. He has won 58.1 percent of his faceoffs in this young season and usually hovers at just over 50 percent.

Engqvist and Aaron Palushaj—another top-six prospect relegated to the bottom line—were sent down to the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Michael Blunden was called up in Palushaj's place.

Blunden is 6'3" and 207 pounds. He should add a lot more physicality to the fourth line than the smaller Palushaj. Assuming Darche will be the third member of the trio, the line should be a tough one.

So yes, Gauthier did improve his fourth line. Baby steps, I suppose.

The question is: Is the Habs' bottom line their biggest problem?

I mean, how much longer will Jacques Martin stubbornly play Mathieu Darche on the team's struggling power play (ranked second-to-last with a meager 6.9 efficiency rate)?

I suppose the general manager would rather address the depth issue before taking drastic measures regarding the coach.

If the team can't beat the Florida Panthers on Monday night, and the new fourth line doesn't play with intensity during their time on the ice, I'm not sure how much longer Jacques Martin will last.

His job would not be assured at that point either.

Jason is on Twitter: Follow @jhytel