A trade for Cirelli would be a home run swing by the Canadiens.
Titans Threaten to Keep Stafford Out of NFL’s Elite Circle
Posted September 12, 2025
Heading into Week 2's matchup, the Tennessee Titans are 5.5-point underdogs to the Los Angeles Rams. On paper, their roster isn't as talented as the Rams, but they have one major stat going in their favor.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford has enjoyed an incredible career. He's won a Super Bowl, he's 10th all-time in passing yards and passing touchdowns, but there's one thing he's never done: beat the Titans.
During Stafford's 17-year NFL career, he's beaten 30 of the NFL's 32 teams. The Titans are one team he's never beaten - he's 0-4 against them - and the Pittsburgh Steelers are the other. Only four QBs in NFL history have beaten all 32 teams - Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Brett Favre - so if the Titans can upset the Rams on Sunday, they may just take Stafford out of contention to ever get the feat done.
Stafford hasn't played particularly bad against the Titans either. In his first ever matchup against the Titans, Stafford and the Lions took them to overtime, but lost 44-41. He completed 78.6% of his passes for 278 yards and a touchdown while taking just one sack, but they couldn't get the job done in overtime.
The Lions wouldn't get another shot at the Titans until 2016, when they met in week 2. This was a defensive slugfest, with the Titans coming out on top by a score of 16-15. Stafford threw for 260 yards and a touchdown, but threw an interception on the Lions last drive of the game as they tried to get within field goal range.
Stafford's next meeting with the Titans came in 2020, during the COVID year. They traveled to Tennessee in November and got demolished, 46-25 in a game where Stafford threw for 252 yards and a touchdown.
Finally, their most recent meeting came in 2021. They met in week nine in LA, but the Titans were able to escape with a 28-16 win after Stafford tossed two picks. The Rams would go on to win the Super Bowl that year.
Now, for the fifth time in his career, Stafford will try to beat the Titans. His team is the favorite, but they have been in three of his last four matchups against Tennessee. Will Stafford be able to get the job done and knock off his 31st NFL team? Or will the Titans pull off the week 2 upset? We'll find out on Sunday, but there's an outside chance the Titans can pull this off and send Stafford him with an 0-5 record against them in his career.
Cirelli is projected to be a valuable asset - the trade talks are heating up
The Montreal Canadiens have been undergoing a period of rebuilding for some time.
They pulled off one of the biggest deals of the summer – acquiring offensive defender Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders. We proposes a deal that would accelerate the Eastern Conference team’s exit from its rebuilding phase by acquiring Anthony Cirelli from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Canadiens Acquire:
- Anthony Cirelli
Lightning Acquire:
- Patrik Laine
A deal of this magnitude would undoubtedly be a blockbuster. Patrik Laine is an established NHLer who can produce goals and points. Cirelli is a top-six center whose two-way prowess is widely recognized throughout the league. Cirelli would immediately become a vital piece for the Canadiens moving forward.
While others have speculated that a player like Pavel Zacha of the Boston Bruins would be a helpful piece, Cirelli is a better option.
Montreal Canadiens Need To Move Salary Out
According to PuckPedia, the Canadiens are $4.519 million over the salary cap ceiling. Swapping Laine for Cirelli doesn’t cure what ails their salary cap situation, but it lightens the load.
Laine will make $8.7 million in the 2025-26 season. He is in the final year of his contract, and the Canadiens must start thinking about whether they should retain him in their ranks or not. By executing this proposed swap, they acquire a player who is signed for a long time at a lower cap hit than Laine.
Cirelli is in the third year of an eight-year contract paying him $6.25 million, which is $2.5 million less than Laine’s. This deal would get them closer to the ceiling, but another deal would need to happen to bring them even closer.
Another consideration could be to involve another team to retain salary on Laine’s contract. This would give the Lightning a more affordable contract to acquire, providing them with a greater incentive to make the deal.
Anthony Cirelli’s Surprising Offensive Game
Cirelli displayed another level to his offensive game in 2024-25. In 80 games played, he recorded career highs in goals (27), assists (32), points (59), shorthanded points (7), and time on ice (18:41).
Had Cirelli played for the Canadiens during this past season, he would have had the fourth-most points. The only Canadiens with more than 59 points last year were Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Lane Hutson.
Getting that kind of offensive boost to the top-six forward group is something that the Canadiens should be all over.
