The CH's three needs ahead of the trade deadline are very clear, here they are!

Be a buyer? Being a seller? The various organizations also begin to have a clearer picture of their team, the needs to be filled and the players that could end up on the market.

It must be said that this year is a strange year. There have been very few transactions so far and none of those involved major players.

On the other hand, this only pushes back the action that will have to happen at some point in the NHL.

According to what the excellent Marco D'Amico of Montreal Hockey Now reports, the Canadiens seem determined to acquire a third first-round pick. In addition, their priority for the second half of the schedule is also to acquire nearly NHL-ready prospects to prepare for a big "step up" next season.

From there, there are three key things that the Habs GM would particularly look to improve for the future of the franchise. We're talking about adding a right-handed defenseman to the blue line, getting a future goalie for the club, and adding massive talent to the roster.

As we heard this week from Max Truman's sources, the Habs are reportedly very active in adding a promising goaltender and the name on the top of Hughes' list is Devon Levi.

As far as adding some weight to the right side of the defense, it is true that Justin Barron and Logan Mailloux are two very good prospects to solidify the defensive brigade one day. However, there are no other good right-handed defenders in the organization besides them. The addition of a right-handed back, who is more experienced, but who would also fit in with the core of the team, would be a very interesting addition for the Habs.

Finally, the massive addition of pure talent could be done through the draft and free agents. If the CH's GM manages to get a third first round selection, management would have their hands full to make big selections in the next draft.

Imagine if the Habs went into the draft with a top-10 pick, a top-15 pick and finally a third pick between the 20-32 spot, there are plenty of opportunities to get their hands on talented young players.

In addition, with another pick in hand, there is always the possibility of trading the third first round selection with the top-15 pick, to potentially have two top-10 picks. This could result in two very high quality prospects!