In one of his latest pieces for The Athletic, insider Pierre LeBrun wrote that Montreal Canadiens’ GM Kent Hughes is particularly active in the run-up to the draft. He confirms what most have been suspecting for a while, given how shallow the market is for a second-line center, the Habs may decide to go for an impact top-six player even if he is not a center.
Given how Jeff Gorton spoke at the end-of-season press conference, this shouldn’t come as a great surprise to anyone. In early May, the Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations said that a talented winger can be the driving force behind a line.
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With Matt Duchene re-upping with the Dallas Stars, Jonathan Toews electing to make his comeback with the Winnipeg Jets, and Trevor Zegras being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers, the market for a second-line center is getting even more shallow.
According to LeBrun, the Canadiens are seeking a trade partner interested in a package of one or both of their first-round picks and prospects. The insider warns that they won’t push it; if the price tag is higher than what they’re comfortable with, they’ll walk away from the table. That also makes perfect sense, given that both Hughes and Gorton were adamant at the end of the season that the surprise qualification for the playoffs wouldn’t prompt them to rush their rebuild.
There have been rumblings recently about the Canadiens being interested in Brock Boeser, who is set to hit free agency on July 1st, and they are also in the running for Rasmus Andersson on the blueline. More often than not, though, Hughes has a knack for surprising everyone with his deals, making it hard to predict which way the Canadiens could be looking right now.
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
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