Montreal Canadiens: The Center of Attention
It has been a remarkably quiet summer in Montreal when it comes to the Canadiens. Aside from extending two young players who still had a year remaining on their contracts, Kent Hughes has been unable, or perhaps unwilling to pay the asking price, to pull the trigger on a deal to address some of the team’s biggest needs. At least, not yet.
Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobeš have both signed contract extensions. Brendan Gallagher, a healthy scratch for much of the playoffs, was sent packing to Vancouver in exchange for futures. And, perhaps most surprisingly, RFAs Zachary Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj remain without contracts for the upcoming season.
For a fan base that watched the Canadiens take another encouraging step last season, the silence is beginning to feel a little louder than it should.
Let’s face it, the Atlantic Division isn’t exactly waiting around for Montreal to progress further. Several teams have made moves to improve, and there is an old saying in hockey that if you don’t improve while everyone around you does, you’ve actually gone backwards.
That said, there is still plenty of time left on the clock. Several significant players remain on the trade market, and Hughes has the kind of asset cupboard that allows him to sit patiently while other general managers start getting nervous. The Canadiens could benefit directly from one of those trades, or even step in as a third team to facilitate a larger transaction.
Loaded with draft capital, prospects and NHL-ready talent, Hughes is in a position to make a move that could propel the Canadiens to another level. But there is one problem that has been staring Montreal in the face for quite some time. The second-line centre position.
The Centre Battle
Providing some relief for Selke Trophy winner Nick Suzuki has long been identified as perhaps the Canadiens’ biggest need. The problem is that the NHL’s trade market has apparently decided that legitimate second-line centres are now priced somewhere between a small fortune and a minor miracle. Seeing what teams have been asking for players at that position this off-season certainly helps explain why Hughes has yet to pull the trigger.
And perhaps that is why the rumours surrounding Montreal have increasingly focused on acquiring a legitimate top-six winger instead.
Kirill Marchenko is one name that continues to surface. As colleague Jimmy Murphy recently pointed out, Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell appears to have changed his tune regarding the big Russian, going from saying Marchenko would be starting the season in Columbus to acknowledging that, should he be traded, it would have to be for a deal that helps the Blue Jackets.
That could make Marchenko an interesting possibility for Montreal.
But if Hughes acquires a winger, he probably isn’t going to turn around and make another major trade for a centre. At some point, the math has to work, both on the salary cap and in terms of the assets leaving the building.
Which brings us back to the players already wearing the CH.
The Candidates
By virtually every measure, Oliver Kapanen had an excellent rookie season. The 6-foot-2, 194-pound centre scored 22 goals, just one behind Beckett Sennecke and Matthew Schaefer for the rookie lead.
There was, however, a noticeable drop-off as the season wore on. Young players coming from European leagues often discover that the NHL schedule is a different animal altogether. The games come faster, the opponents are bigger and stronger, and there are a whole lot more of them. Kapanen hit that wall, and his production and ice time reflected it.
The good news is that he now knows what that wall looks like. With a full NHL season under his belt and a summer to prepare for what awaits him, Kapanen should be better equipped to handle the demands of a full season. Of all the internal options, he is the one I believe has the best chance of stepping into the role and making it his own.
He may also be one of the most underrated players on the Canadiens roster.
Newhook began showing real signs of breaking out last season. Injuries slowed him down, but he was on pace for a 25-goal season over 82 games and was particularly impressive during the playoffs.
He isn’t a natural centre, but he handled the position reasonably well when called upon after Kapanen’s second-half struggles. More importantly, Newhook has developed into a reliable defensive player and took on a larger role on the penalty kill last season.
That versatility makes him a very interesting option for Martin St-Louis. He may not be the ideal answer, but he could be a very good answer.
At 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds, Dach has the size and skill to become exactly the kind of player Montreal needs down the middle. Unfortunately, we’ve spent more time talking about what Dach could become than what he has actually become.
Injuries have interrupted his development, and he has yet to live up to the expectations attached to a former third overall pick, either in Chicago or Montreal. Now on a one-year contract, this is very much a make-or-break season for him with the Canadiens.
His biggest obstacle may be the faceoff circle. A 36.5 per cent success rate isn’t going to inspire much confidence for a team looking for a dependable centre. The tools are there. The question is whether the player can finally put them all together.
Evans filled in on the second line late last season and during the playoffs as St-Louis searched for secondary scoring. But let’s not kid ourselves. Evans isn’t a second-line centre.
In an ideal world, he’s anchoring the third or fourth line, killing penalties, winning important defensive-zone draws and making life miserable for opponents who would rather have an easier shift.
Could he play higher in the lineup when necessary? Absolutely. Should Montreal build its second line around him? Definitely not.
Danault isn’t the player he was during his first stint in Montreal, and we’ve all seen that.
There were signs of improvement as last season progressed, but the offensive side of his game has become rather limited. At this stage of his career, he’s essentially a more expensive version of Evans, only from the left side.
Useful? Absolutely. The answer to Montreal’s second-line centre problem? No.
A lot of fans appear to have written Owen Beck off, but I’m not ready to put the pen down just yet. I’ve always believed Beck’s game may be better suited to the NHL than the AHL. If he comes into training camp and puts together a strong showing, things could get interesting.
Realistically, a third or fourth-line role would probably be more appropriate to start. But of the internal candidates, Beck is one of the better faceoff men, behind Danault and Evans, and he has some of the attributes you want in a dependable two-way centre.
Sometimes players don’t need another year of development. Sometimes they just need someone to finally give them the real opportunity.
Then there is Michael Hage. The Canadiens’ top prospect is heading back to Michigan for another season, where he will continue developing as a centre. That means he won’t solve Montreal’s problem for most of the season, but once the Wolverines’ season ends, the Canadiens could sign him to his entry-level contract.
If everything falls into place, Hage could provide a significant jolt of energy for a playoff push, much like finding an extra tank of gas when you thought the car was running on fumes. But counting on that now would be foolish. Hage is a potential solution, not a September solution.
The Verdict
And that brings us back to where we started. If Hughes can find the right deal for a second-line centre, I’m sure he’ll make it. But if the asking price remains astronomical, there is no reason to overpay simply because the position has been identified as a need.
The Canadiens have options. None are perfect, but that doesn’t mean one of them can’t surprise us.
If I were a betting man, my money would be on Oliver Kapanen to start the season as the second-line centre. Alex Newhook would be my second choice. And perhaps that is the most important point of all.
Montreal doesn’t necessarily need the perfect answer right now. It needs someone capable of giving Suzuki, Caufield and Slafkovsky some breathing room, allowing Demidov to play with a legitimate centre and winger, while giving the Canadiens’ top six enough balance to make opponents think twice about where to focus their attention.
Sometimes, the solution isn’t sitting on another team’s roster. Sometimes, he’s already sitting in your own dressing room, just waiting for somebody to give him the keys.
