The Canadiens may already have their answer at second-line center, and Félix Séguin thinks the fit looks a lot like Anton Lundell.
Séguin, TVA Sports’ play-by-play voice for Canadiens games, floated that comparison during an appearance on The Sick Podcast, pointing to Oliver Kapanen as the player in question. In his view, Kapanen could be a short-term fix down the middle of Montreal’s second line.
That’s a pretty telling label for a young center who spent last season giving the Canadiens both promise and headaches.
Kapanen’s rookie year had plenty of peaks and valleys. After moving into the middle of the second line, he showed he could handle the job in stretches, but he also had rough patches that made the role look bigger than he was ready for at times.
Even so, the numbers were solid: 22 goals and 37 points. Playing with Ivan Demidov certainly helped, but the production still counted.
The end of his season, though, was a different story. He faded badly down the stretch and, at times, looked overwhelmed. His quiet playoff showing can be tied in part to fatigue, since he was navigating the longest season of his career.
Now the door is open again. With the Canadiens not adding a center over the summer, Kapanen could be back in that second-line pivot spot this season.
The Lundell comparison has some logic to it. Florida’s Finnish center sits behind Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett and usually works in a third-line role, but he can slide into the top six when needed because he’s reliable and responsible. That part of the comparison tracks with what Kapanen might become for Montreal.
Still, there are clear differences. Lundell has never scored 22 goals or even reached 18 in a season, but he has been more consistent overall, and he has done it without skating next to a player like Ivan Demidov. He’s also been far better in the playoffs, which is another box Kapanen hasn’t checked yet.
So the idea is there, but the gap is still real.
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