The Montreal Canadiens are still hunting for help down the middle, and a familiar big-name target has surfaced: Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele.
According to a recent Sportsnet report from Nick Kypreos, Montreal is one of the teams checking in on Scheifele after missing out on Dylan Larkin.
“The Canadiens are among the teams asking about Scheifele after failing on Larkin,” Kypreos wrote. “They have their eye on him as the perfect 1-2 punch to support top line centre Nick Suzuki. It would, of course, be a hefty price that could include prospect Michael Hage, or 23-year-old NHLer Oliver Kapanen, among others (Kirby Dach is wrapped up in this too).”
That kind of asking price makes sense. Scheifele is coming off a huge season and remains the kind of center who can change the look of a lineup in a hurry. In 82 games during the 2025-26 season, he put up 36 goals, 67 assists, and 103 points for Winnipeg.
For Montreal, the fit is obvious enough. The Canadiens need another impact center, and Scheifele would give them exactly that behind Nick Suzuki.
But there’s no getting around the cost. A player coming off that sort of year, and with his track record, is going to command a major return.
There’s also the age factor. Scheifele is 33, which adds some risk if Montreal has to give up significant assets to get him.
And if the Canadiens were to land him, it would not be a short-term swing. Scheifele carries an $8.5 million cap hit through the 2030-31 season.
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Blue Jackets Face A Kirill Marchenko Decision They Can't Let Drag Out
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The timing matters because Marchenko is heading into the final year of his deal with Columbus, which only sharpens the pressure on the Blue Jackets to sort out their plan sooner rather than later. For Montreal, it adds another potential target to a market where proven offense is rarely easy to find, and the longer this situation hangs there, the more it feels like a decision other teams will be waiting to pounce on. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Fans Should Watch This Suzuki-Caufield Camp Experiment Closely
The Canadiens are using camp to tinker with the shape of their top six, and one of the more notable early changes has Chris Kreider skating on the first line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Juraj Slafkovsky has been shifted to the second line as Montreal looks for a better balance up front, a move that also gives the club a different look around its captain and top scorer.
Suzuki noted the contrast in styles between the two wingers, with Kreider bringing more puck control and a stronger net-front presence while Slafkovsky has tended to operate a little higher and look to make plays. For a team trying to deepen its forward group without losing what makes its best line dangerous, how that fit develops in camp is worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]