With Kirby Dach suffering a second knee injury, it's time to start opening our eyes. He likely won't be the Canadiens' second-line center in the long run.
And with the Habs so close to the playoffs, it's clear the team will need a real second-line center as early as next year.
We could talk about Michael Hage or Oliver Kapanen, but let's be honest, they won't be ready for such a big role right away.
That leaves Kent Hughes with a dilemma:
Go after a player who, like Kirby Dach at the time, has potential but a difficult trajectory, or; Take a big swing for an established center.
In his Rondelle libre column, Mathias Brunet proposed a bold idea: the Habs could attempt an offer sheet for Mason McTavish from the Anaheim Ducks.
Mason McTavish as the Montreal Canadiens' Second-Line Center: Mathias Brunet's Proposal
That would be interesting! It could be an offer sheet signing or a straightforward trade.
The problem? The Ducks have $16 million in cap space, so they could easily match any offer from the Habs.
An offer of $5 or $6 million per year would only yield a first- and third-round pick as compensation, which isn't a high price for them.
But Hughes could try to negotiate a trade instead.
With 12 picks in the upcoming draft, Montreal has assets to negotiate, but Anaheim is a team looking to speed up its rebuild.
That means draft picks alone might not be enough.
That's where a prospect like Oliver Kapanen or Logan Mailloux could come into play.
Would Kent Hughes be willing to sacrifice young talent to acquire McTavish? I think he would.
In my opinion, McTavish would be a perfect fit in Montreal, but it all depends on the price to pay.
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