The Montreal Canadiens can point to last season’s Eastern Conference Finals run if they want to sell the idea that the climb is already happening. But the Carolina Hurricanes series made the gap pretty clear, and one of the biggest reasons is still sitting right in the middle of the forward group: the second-line center spot.
That issue hasn’t gone away after a quiet offseason. On the current Daily Faceoff projection, Alex Newhook, Jake Evans and Ivan Demidov are the names slotted into that second-unit conversation, and that group simply doesn’t look like enough offense for a team trying to dress itself up as a Stanley Cup contender.
Montreal’s first line - Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky - is good enough to handle the heavy lifting. The problem is what comes after that.
If the Suzuki line is going to draw the toughest matchups and carry most of the scoring load, the Canadiens need a second line that can actually punish opponents for leaning that way. Right now, the options feel more like temporary fixes than answers.
Oliver Kapanen showed some promise in that role last season, finishing with more than 20 goals and flashing enough to make you think maybe he could be the solution. Then the playoffs arrived, and he disappeared from the lineup. Whether that was fatigue or the jump in pace, the message was the same: he wasn’t ready to hold that job when the games tightened up.
Montreal does have some internal ways to patch the hole. Evans is one of them, and while he brings value - penalty killing, faceoffs, hockey sense, versatility - nobody around the league is mistaking him for a true 2C on a contender. Still, he might be able to survive in the role for a short stretch, maybe 10 or 20 games.
Newhook is another possibility, and he brings more speed and a bit more offensive juice than Evans. He also has top-six experience and could make sense with Demidov and Slafkovsky because of his transition game.
The Canadiens used him with Demidov plenty last season, though mostly on the wing, and the possession numbers weren’t especially strong. He’s useful.
He’s not the kind of center you want carrying that spot for 82 games.
Kapanen remains the most intriguing name of the three because his upside is real. His 22 goals last season weren’t a fluke.
But those playoff healthy scratches were a reminder that he’s not there yet. Maybe he gets there.
Maybe he gets the chance to prove it. Montreal just can’t bank on that outcome.
One possible wrinkle would be moving Slafkovsky off the top line and putting him with Kapanen, which would give the younger center two highly skilled wingers. That would weaken the first line a bit, but it could create two more dangerous scoring units instead of one dominant line and a second group that doesn’t scare anybody. Zachary Bolduc or Alexandre Texier were mentioned as the kinds of players who could slide into that top-line spot if Montreal chose that route.
Demidov is the swing factor in all of this. If he takes a big step, he can help make the top six look a lot more dangerous than it did a year ago, even if the first line loses a little punch.
He’s the kind of player who can change the shape of the forward group, but the Canadiens have to put him in the best position to do it. If he’s lined up with Evans and Newhook, the odds are not as good.
If he’s with Slafkovsky and Kapanen, they improve.
There’s also the downside scenario, and it’s a real one: if Demidov struggles or hits a slump, Montreal’s depth gets exposed fast no matter who he’s playing with. That’s the kind of risk that could have been softened if the Canadiens had landed a top-six center over the summer.
For now, though, panic isn’t necessary. Montreal has time, and it has three internal candidates to test before making a bigger move.
Kent Hughes and the front office can keep scanning the league for a fit that doesn’t cost them everything. But the clock is still ticking, and the NHL Trade Deadline feels like the last major checkpoint to sort it out.
The Canadiens’ second line probably gets them into the playoffs. The question is whether that’s enough in a market that wants more than just a postseason ticket. If Montreal is serious about becoming a real Cup threat, that group has to get a lot stronger.
In Other News...
Canadiens Prospects Just Gave Fans Three New Reasons To Pay Attention
The Canadiens NCAA pipeline keeps giving the organization more to track as another college season approaches, and the latest group of prospects brings a little bit of everything. Michael Hage is headed back to Michigan, LJ Mooney is coming off a strong freshman year at Minnesota, and Timofei Runtso is moving into the college game after a productive WHL run. For a club still trying to build out its future, those are the kinds of names that can quietly start shaping the conversation around what comes next.
Mooney is the one who already looks closest to forcing a decision, since his play at Minnesota has put him on the radar for a possible entry-level contract if he keeps trending up. Hages return gives Montreal another important look at a player whose development path has already been tested, while Runtso adds another fresh layer of intrigue once he settles in at Miami. The Canadiens do not need all of these prospects to hit at once, but they do need some of them to keep moving, and this fall should tell the team a lot about which ones are ready to push forward. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Dach Just Put A Canadiens Bounce-Back Season Back In Focus
Kirby Dach is back in Brossard as the Canadiens continue their lead-up to training camp, and his return puts a familiar offseason storyline back at the center of Montreals plans. After a limited and disappointing last season, the forward heads into the new year with a new contract in place as a restricted free agent, and his presence at the teams training base arrives as several teammates are already getting work in before camp officially opens.
The bigger question around Dach remains the same one that followed him through the spring: whether the flashes he showed in the playoffs can carry into a full bounce-back season. Montreal has spent much of the summer talking about growth, health and internal improvement, and Dach sits right in the middle of that conversation as one of the players whose next step could shape the teams outlook. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Goalie Situation Suddenly Hinges On Winnipegs Next Move
The Canadiens goaltending picture is suddenly tied to a bigger conversation out in Winnipeg, where any serious trade talk involving Connor Hellebuyck could ripple across the market and put Montreal in a spot it may have to address before long. Samuel Montembeault sits at the center of that uncertainty, with the current chatter suggesting the Canadiens could be watching the deadline landscape closely rather than treating their crease as settled.
Montembeaults future is already a talking point because a move before the deadline has been viewed as plausible, and the uncertainty only grows if the Jets decide to shift course. If Winnipeg starts asking around on Montreals goalie, the discussion could widen quickly, but for now it remains all speculation and there have been no confirmed transactions to report. [Read more 🡒]