The Canadiens’ search for help down the middle is still very much alive, and the latest chatter suggests Kent Hughes is keeping more than one door open.
Much of the noise over the past 48 hours has centered on Kirill Marchenko, but Maxime Truman added a key wrinkle: Marchenko may not be the only name pulling Montreal’s attention. The bigger issue, as it has been for several seasons, remains the same - the Canadiens are still chasing a second-line center.
According to Truman, talks have recently taken place with at least two teams while Hughes keeps working the phones. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly among the clubs that have stayed in contact with the Canadiens general manager.
That’s where Kent Johnson and John Tavares enter the conversation. Both fit the general profile Montreal would be looking for, but Truman’s comments do not make either player a confirmed target.
What hasn’t changed is Montreal’s need in the middle. Landing the right center would give Martin St-Louis more options in his top six and take some of the burden off the rest of the lineup.
Marchenko still makes sense as a trade name for a team looking for more scoring, but he alone would not solve Montreal’s center problem.
Truman also pointed back to the trade deadline, when the Canadiens and Maple Leafs reportedly came close to a deal involving Matthew Knies. Even with Brad Treliving gone, the line of communication between the two clubs apparently remains open, giving Hughes another possible path to a major move.
Tavares would be a very different kind of addition. He would bring experience, faceoff ability and a proven offensive presence, but any deal would still have to work for Montreal.
Hughes does not need to rush into anything just because conversations are happening. The Canadiens have young assets to work with, but the price still has to match both the role and the long-term fit.
The next few days could still bring movement. For now, though, it looks like Montreal’s trade search may be broader than the focus on Marchenko first suggested.
In Other News...
Canadiens Are Putting Serious Pressure On Laval To Survive This Reset
Lavals latest reset comes with a familiar kind of pressure for a farm team that has already shown it can win in the regular season. The Rocket captured the North Division for a second straight year, only to run into a first-round wall against the Toronto Marlies, and now the organization is trying to make sure that success translates when it matters most. With the coaching chair changing hands and the Canadiens looking to keep the development pipeline moving, the focus has shifted from simply getting to the playoffs to building a roster that can survive them.
Montreal has responded by adding depth and competition throughout the system, bringing in Brett Berard, Hunter McKown, Sasha Pastujov, Jared Davidson and goalie Kaapo Kahkonen to help fortify Laval. There is also another layer to watch once NHL camp opens, since players such as Owen Beck, Florian Xhekaj, David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom could flow into the Rocket mix depending on how the big club sorts out its own picture. For Laval, the challenge is no longer just repeating as a division power. It is proving the group can handle the heavier lift that comes with a true postseason push. [Read more 🡒]
Jesperi Kotkaniemi Is Back In The Spotlight For A Familiar Reason
Jesperi Kotkaniemi has a way of drifting back into the conversation around Montreal, even from a few time zones away. The former Canadiens forward, now with the Carolina Hurricanes, recently brought the Stanley Cup to his hometown arena in Pori, Finland, a reminder that his career has taken a long and winding route since he left Quebec.
The latest buzz around him is less celebratory, though, and it comes with the kind of familiar uncertainty that has followed him for stretches of his tenure in Carolina. Kotkaniemi is still under contract for four more years with a $4.82 million cap hit, and the Hurricanes have already shown a willingness to keep his name in the mix when trade chatter heats up. For now, he remains in Carolina, but his place in the picture has a habit of coming up whenever the roster starts to shift. [Read more 🡒]