As time goes on, it becomes increasingly apparent that the seven-year contract awarded to Josh Anderson is becoming a burden for the Canadiens. Yes, he is regularly involved in the games, but with such a deal, one expects him to produce more.
This contract signed by Marc Bergevin could have been a boon, but it is turning sour instead. If Josh were scoring 20 goals per season, we wouldn't even be talking about it.
This season, it's only 8 goals and 18 points in 60 games, which is clearly insufficient. Winning the Molson Cup for a month (December) is nice, but he needs to find a way to be more consistent.
For all these reasons, the Canadiens are not able to trade him, as he still has three years left on his contract. There were rumors that the Habs were offered a first-round pick for him last summer, but Renaud Lavoie brings everyone back to reality.
Let's face it; when Josh is hot, he's very useful. However, when he's in a slump, it can linger, and that's when it becomes concerning. Many teams would like to have a force like him on offense, but they don't want to take such a risk with his current contract, and Kent Hughes cannot keep such a long-term salary impact.