NHL teams aren't usually friends on the ice but sometimes they need each other's help to make deals. The Oilers may need Montreal for a trade to help them out. This might not be the first time the Montreal Canadiens come to the rescue of an Alberta team, as roughly two years ago the Calgary Flames had no more money to spend and needed a dance partner to help them clear up some salary cap space. That's when GM of the Habs Kent Hughes came in and made a trade to acquire Sean Monahan as well as a first-round pick in exchange for future considerations. Could the Habs help out the other Alberta team in a similar situation after they received two offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues today? <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/AFPAnalytics/status/1823356947086602632'> </a></blockquote></div> The Oilers have no money left to spend and are actually over the salary cap currently by almost $400,000. Should GM Stan Bowman choose to match the offer sheets he received today, that would require an additional $6,871,374 per season in salary. Queue Kent Hughes and the Canadiens who can swoop in and help them with that, as Montreal will have more than $5 million in cap space. The Habs seem to be interested in Oilers defenseman <a href='https://dailyhive.com/edmonton/4-players-oilers-trade-match-blues-offer-sheets' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Cody Ceci</a>, who is only 30. He is expected to make $3.25 million this season and will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) next summer. Ceci did well for the Oilers last year, notching five goals and 25 points in 79 games, finishing with a solid +12 rating as well. Should Montreal acquire his services, they can always look to trade him as well by the trade deadline to ensure they get something in return for him if they aren't close to a playoff spot. By clearing Cody Ceci's salary off the cap, this might allow Stan Bowman to match one or two of the offer sheets he received. They would still need to figure out a way to clear a little more salary, but starting with Ceci would be the right step. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/YAZZHYTV/status/1823416988053668288'> </a></blockquote></div> The good news here if you're a Habs fan is that Kent Hughes isn't simply going to pick up Cody Ceci's salary for nothing and help out an Oilers team. He will expect more in return, such as a 1st or 2nd round pick to entice him to wanting to make the deal. Whether Stan Bowman wants to give up an extra draft pick remains to be seen, but beggars can't be choosers. Source: Habs Fanatics <a href='https://www.habsfanatics.com/nhl/trades/the-canadiens-could-help-the-oilers-out-of-their-offer-sheet-disaster-via-trade' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>The Canadiens could help the Oilers out of their offer sheet disaster via trade</a> Source: HockeyDB <a href='https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=121792' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Cody Ceci Stats</a>