Should the Kings qualify for next year's postseason, the Canadiens will instead receive their own 2018 fourth-round pick that was originally exchanged to the Kings for forward Dwight King at last year's trade deadline.
Mitchell, 32, has been held pointless in 11 games with the Canadiens this season. He tallied 17 points in 78 games with Montreal last year.
The Canadiens originally acquired Mitchell from the Buffalo Sabres in 2015.
Gudas is considered a repeat offender under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement. His most recent ban came in October 2016, when he was suspended six games for an interference play involving Austin Czarnik of the Boston Bruins.
Gudas will forfeit $408,536.60 in salary as part of his 10-game suspension.
The 27-year-old missed Saturday's game against the Calgary Flames while he awaited his hearing. The contest will count toward his 10-game suspension. He's eligible to return Dec. 12 vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Gudas has recorded two assists and 57 penalty minutes in 17 games this season.
Sixteen months after the trade that sent him to Nashville for former Predators captain Shea Weber, the star blue-liner is left wondering what led to his exit from the Montreal Canadiens organization.
"You know what? Let's get a panel. We can get (Canadiens owner) Geoff Molson, we can get (general manager) Marc Bergevin, we can get (former coach) Michel Therrien. We can get the whole front office and we can just throw those questions at them."
Talk of the blockbuster trade has resurfaced with the Predators and Canadiens set to square off Wednesday in Nashville, marking just the third time the two sides have met since the deal unfolded.
A back injury sidelined Subban for one of last season's games, but he was in the lineup for the Predators' 2-1 loss to the Canadiens on Mar. 2, a game in which he picked up an assist, while Weber was held off the scoresheet.
Subban finished last season with 40 points in 66 games, while Weber tallied 42 points in 78 outings.
A deal which many pundits felt favored the Predators nearly reached its tipping point last spring when the Predators advanced the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history.
Subban was a key factor in that playoff run, and his presence in Montreal was evidently missed as the Canadiens fell in the opening round of playoff action.
"The reality is that I didn't ask to be traded," Subban added. "I don't know. I never got an explanation for it."
A 6-0 loss on home ice Saturday to the rival Toronto Maple Leafs was the latest blow for the Canadiens, losers of four of their past five.
That the team was unable to muster a goal, let alone find the win column, is even more surprising after coach Claude Julien uttered his embarrassment following Thursday's defeat to the dead-last Arizona Coyotes.
The loss to the Maple Leafs dropped the Canadiens' record to 8-11-2 on the season. The club is now five points removed from a playoff position.
While it's still early, and the Canadiens have nearly three quarters of the season left to right the ship, there are no assurances that a correction is around the corner.
The Canadiens can't score. Saturday's loss marked the fourth time Montreal has been shutout this season, and the team has found the back of the net more than twice just eight times.
That puts the Canadiens at 2.38 goals per game, ahead of only the lowly Buffalo Sabres (2.30).
To no ones surprise, fans are calling for general manager Marc Bergevin to bring in scoring help. But, the problem is, he has no trade chips to move.
Bergevin already moved his most valuable up-and-comer this offseason when he acquired hometown hero Jonathan Drouin from the Tampa Bay Lightning. And while Drouin has been a hit starring for the Habs, more help is needed.
Blame the Canadiens' poor performance at the draft table as a reason for their scoring woes. In the past 10 years, Montreal has selected just four players who have reached double-digit career goals, three of which remain with the franchise: Artturi Lehkonen, Alex Galchenyuk, and Brendan Gallagher.
While immediate help may not be around the corner, a transition to focusing on the future seems just as unlikely. Bergevin is signed through the next five seasons - as is Julien - but a poor finish to the season could leave him without an answer to ownership.
Heavy contracts to the likes of defensemen Shea Weber, Karl Alzner, and goaltender Carey Price, whose eight-year pact hasn't even begun, among others, also makes a major shakeup unlikely.
Simply, there are no quick fixes for Montreal, and possibly worse, the team appears to be stuck in the status quo.
The NHL insists the Winter Classic concept hasn't gone stale, but that's hard to accept given its constant showcasing of the same teams.
On Saturday, the NHL announced the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks will play in the 2019 Winter Classic, marking the third appearance for the Bruins and the sixth for the Blackhawks.
Meanwhile, eight other teams have never taken part in an outdoor game. Here are five fresh teams we'd prefer to watch.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets were one of the most exciting teams last season, and at one point pieced together a 16-game win streak. This year, Columbus has won 12 of its first 20 games, showing it's no fluke.
With some of the game's best young stars, like Zach Werenski, on the roster, the Blue Jackets are a prime candidate for an outdoor game. The best bet could be a showdown at Ohio Stadium against the playoff rival Pittsburgh Penguins.
Dallas Stars
The Stars can score, which makes them a perfect candidate for one of the NHL's premier events. A game outdoors would also give superstars like Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn more time in the limelight.
The Stars moved to Dallas in 1993, and a game in their former state against the Minnesota Wild could be an instant classic. To make it extra special, have Stars legend Mike Modano drop the puck in the ceremonial faceoff.
Nashville Predators
Hockey fans in the Music City put on a show during last year's playoffs with raucous crowds at Bridgestone Arena. Can the spectacle be taken to the next level?
The site is there in Nissan Stadium, and concerns over climate should be minimal after the NHL hosted two successful outdoor games in California. A game involving the Predators would highlight one of the NHL's most dynamic personalities in P.K. Subban, and facing off against his former team, the Montreal Canadiens, would provide intrigue in the Great White North.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning are an offensive machine this season, with the duo of Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov scoring at will. It's time the two get the chance to show their stuff on the Winter Classic stage.
The Florida club would likely have to take the show on the road in order to be featured in the Winter Classic, but there are plenty of options. Here's one: Going up against the Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, potentially at FedEx Field, home of the NFL's Redskins.
Vegas Golden Knights
Nobody puts on a better show than Vegas, and given the Golden Knights' strong performance, it's time to grant them an opportunity.
As a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, team owner Bill Foley could like the idea of playing a neutral-site game at New York's West Point campus. A perfect opponent could be the Florida Panthers, whose owner, Vincent Viola, is also a West Point graduate.
The game will be held Jan. 1, 2019, at Notre Dame Stadium in Indiana, which seats more 77,000 fans.
The Blackhawks have played in five outdoor games, with their most recent coming last January against the St. Louis Blues. Chicago has a 1-4-0 all-time record when playing outside.
The Bruins have twice played outdoors, featuring in a pair of home games held at the Red Sox's Fenway Park and the Patriots' Gillette Stadium. Boston is 1-1-0 in outdoor games.
Three outdoor games are on the docket for this season.
It's an odd number, so the expansion door is sure to open again in the coming years with the NHL adding team No. 32. Most recently, Houston has made noise about joining the club. It's an interesting case, given the city's size, its NHL-ready arena, and the would-be owner's financial backing.
But Houston is just one of five possibilities that should be in the cards when the NHL readies for its next expansion:
An addition in Kansas City wouldn't be a first for the NHL, after the league tried its hand with the Scouts. The experiment lasted two seasons, as the team left for Colorado in 1976 before ultimately landing in New Jersey as the Devils.
Kansas City's Sprint Center, which opened its doors a decade ago, could ice a potential team. The arena seats more than 17,500 for hockey and has hosted six neutral site games since its opening. Lamar Hunt Jr., owner of the ECHL's Mavericks, has expressed interest in bringing the NHL to Kansas City, if the price is right.
Portland
Portland hockey fans have already shown their ability to support the sport, and an NHL-built arena further helps the cause for this expansion candidate.
Portland's hockey history began in 1914 with the Rosebuds of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. Today, the WHL's Winterhawks, playing out of the Moda Center, are among the biggest draws in the junior circuit. The arena holds more than 18,000 for hockey and is currently home to the NBA's Trail Blazers, Portland's lone pro team.
The NHL has never had a team in Portland, but a move almost happened in 2000 when there were talks of the Coyotes relocating to Oregon, with ownership to be held by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, prior to a local sale that kept the team in Arizona.
Quebec City
Quebec City's bid in the most recent expansion process was deferred, leaving open the possibility for the NHL to reconsider the Quebec capital in the future.
Expansion efforts have been led by Quebecor's Pierre Karl Peladeau, with the goal of bringing back the Nordiques. The team left for Denver in 1995, in part because they were unable to find a new arena. But that's no longer a roadblock following the unveiling of the 18,000-plus seat Videotron Centre in 2015.
While an addition to Quebec City would make it eight Canadian franchises, the market still has its challenges. Home to about 500,000, Quebec City would be the NHL's smallest market. Winnipeg is next, with nearly 200,000 more people, meaning a new team would need significant gate receipts to make up for a smaller corporate base.
"It isn't going to work very well unless this building is sold out every night," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in 2011 when the Atlanta Thrashers uprooted for Winnipeg, and a similar concern could exist about Quebec City.
Seattle
The Emerald City wants hockey, and the interest from the NHL appears to be mutual. The league was disappointed it didn't receive a bid from Seattle during its most recent expansion process, but given the painstaking process to build a new arena in the city, the delay was inevitable.
That won't be the case this time around, as Oak View Group, headed by former Toronto Maple Leafs executive Tim Leiweke, is leading the charge to revamp the 1962-built Key Arena into a modern facility.
The NHL has never had a franchise in Seattle, but the sport's history in the market is extensive. The WHL's Thunderbirds are a popular draw, while the city was also previously home to the PCHA's Metropolitans. In 1917, prior to the launch of the NHL, the Metropolitans defeated the Montreal Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup.
Domingue, 25, was winless through seven games with Arizona this season, as he posted an .856 save percentage and 4.33 goals-against average.
His time in the desert came to a close following the Coyotes' acquisition of netminder Scott Wedgewood and Antti Raanta's return from injury.
Domingue is signed through the remainder of the season at a $1.05-million cap hit.
This season, Leighton and McGinn have suited up for the Lightning's minor-league affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. McGinn played for the Coyotes during the 2014-15 campaign.
The Montreal Canadiens goaltender is staying off the ice for a few days as his recovery from a lower-body injury has stagnated, according to TSN's John Lu.
He resumed skating last week and insists he'll soon be back in game action. Last week, coach Claude Julien made it clear it's not the same injury - an MCL sprain - that saw Price miss all but 12 games of the 2015-16 season.
On Tuesday, Price indicated the injury occurred in the pregame warmup prior to a Nov. 2 game against the Minnesota Wild. He played the entire game, allowing five goals on 26 shots, and hasn't appeared in the crease since.
Price originally anticipated he'd be back for Thursday's contest against the Arizona Coyotes, but his return date has been pushed back.
In his absence, the Canadiens have turned to 23-year-old Charlie Lindgren, who has posted a 3-1-0 record and .964 save percentage through four games.
