The Canadiens’ biggest camp question may not be on defense or in goal. It’s who gets the chance to line up as Montreal’s second-line center.
Alex Newhook made a real case for himself during the Canadiens’ 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff run. While Jakub Dobes was busy keeping Montreal alive night after night, Newhook became the team’s breakout story and, in the process, became the second player in NHL playoff history to score two Game 7 game-winners. He helped push the Canadiens past the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres, and that kind of clutch production makes an easy argument for handing him a bigger role to start the season.
But the sense around this battle is that Martin St. Louis will probably look in another direction.
Newhook gave Montreal exactly what it needed when nobody else was producing, and that matters. Still, the better fit for that spot may be someone who can provide steadier scoring over the long haul.
Oliver Kapanen and Kirby Dach are the names in the mix, and Montreal would love to find a center who can hold that job and help spread the offense deeper through the lineup. Newhook, for all he brought in the playoffs, looks more like a third-line center if the Canadiens are trying to maximize their depth.
Kapanen is the cleanest answer on paper. Montreal would love to see him seize the role next to Ivan Demidov, and there’s reason for optimism after the way he progressed from an 18-game look in 2024-25 to a full 82-game season in 2025-26.
He finished that regular season with 22 goals and 37 points, even if the postseason was rough. Kapanen went pointless in seven playoff games, which wasn’t the finish he wanted, but the bigger picture still suggests a player who can learn from that stretch and grow into more responsibility.
Dach is the wild card. The talent is obvious, and the idea of him centering the second line keeps pulling people back in.
The problem is the same one that keeps following him: health. He couldn’t stay in the lineup during last year’s regular season, though he did manage to play 19 games in the playoffs.
His numbers there were modest - four goals and one assist - but he also flashed the kind of skill that makes the whole discussion so frustrating.
One moment in particular stuck with people. Dach scored a highlight-reel goal against Tampa Bay, and it came just 11 seconds after the Lightning tied the game. It started with him winning the face-off, then finishing with a slick move to kick the puck from his skate to his blade before scoring.
Canadiens fans would love to see that version of Dach over a full season, especially with Demidov beside him. The Russian winger needs a center with enough offensive touch to match his game, and right now the path seems to point toward Kapanen earning that chance - or, if not, Montreal waiting for Michael Hage to arrive.
Dach winning the job would be the surprise. The real question is whether he could keep it.
In Other News...
Canadiens Quiet Offseason May Be About To Change Fast
Montreals quiet offseason has started to feel a little less quiet as the Canadiens continue to be mentioned in the same breath as other Atlantic Division clubs that have already made their rosters look stronger. The sense around the team is not that a deal is done, but that general manager Kent Hughes has kept the door open to trade talks while the front office keeps searching for ways to upgrade a top-six forward group that still looks like the clearest need.
A handful of names have surfaced in the rumor mill, including Zachary Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj, which is enough to keep speculation humming even without a confirmed transaction. For a Canadiens club that has spent much of the summer waiting for the market to bring the right opportunity, the next move may come quickly if Hughes decides the fit and timing are finally there. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Face A Tough Price If They Push For Arber Xhekaj
Arber Xhekaj keeps showing up in trade chatter for the simple reason that teams looking for defensive help notice what he brings. The Montreal defenseman has the kind of edge and presence that can appeal to a club trying to toughen up its blue line, and Anaheim has been floated as a fit if the Ducks decide to keep pushing for more depth on the back end. For Montreal, though, the broader picture matters just as much as the player itself, because any discussion of moving Xhekaj would have to make sense for a team that still sees value in what he adds.
The obstacle for Anaheim is not just whether Xhekaj is available, but whether the price is worth it while the Ducks juggle cap concerns and the need to get Cutter Gauthier signed. Even in a hypothetical framework, the ask would have to be substantial enough to interest Montreal, which is why these talks tend to circle around prospects and draft capital rather than a simple hockey trade. For now, there is no sign the Canadiens are looking to make Xhekaj available, which leaves this more as a useful reminder of his market value than a deal on the verge of happening. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Delay On Arber Xhekaj And Zach Bolduc Raises Bigger Questions
The Canadiens still have two restricted free agents waiting for contracts in Arber Xhekaj and Zachary Bolduc, and the delay has become more interesting than the usual summer paperwork. Anthony Di Marco noted that there is uncertainty not just about the terms, but also about the timeline, with Montreal still working through how it wants to handle both players as part of its roster planning.
Xhekaj and Bolduc are in very different spots, which is part of what makes the situation worth watching. Xhekajs next step appears tied to how the club values him in the depth chart, while Bolducs case carries more weight because of the way Montreal acquired him and the flexibility he brings. Until the Canadiens sort out those negotiations, there is a small but meaningful question hanging over how the organization sees each player in the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]