The days of the Montreal Canadiens being desperate for centres are long gone. In fact, they now have the opposite problem.
It doesn’t take a mathematician to calculate or understand that the Habs have more guys down the middle than they need. And as of now, Montreal has the following seven NHL-level players who want to play the position:
- Nick Suzuki
- Kirby Dach
- Sean Monahan
- Jake Evans
- Christian Dvorak
- Alex Newhook
- Rem Pitlick
With only four centre spots available, that’s a bit of a logjam. To address this, the Canadiens could do a few things. They could explore trades to strengthen other areas of the team, experiment with different line combinations during the preseason, or consider moving some players to different positions.
The last option is probably the most likely as that’s exactly what happened with Dach when he was moved to the wing last season. But a trade is not out of the question either. An expendable player like Dvorak or Evans could bring a good return from a team who needs some depth down the middle
It’s also worth mentioning that prospects like Sean Farrell and Owen Beck will also be fighting for centre spots as they knock on the door of the NHL.
As for who is likely to play in their desired position, there are a few shoo-ins.
Captain Nick Suzuki is a lock at returning to his 1C post. It’s also likely that Monahan starts the year at 2C. If Dvorak sticks around, he will likely remain in the position somewhere within the lineup as well. As for the others, some will have to quickly adapt to playing on the wing.
With all that said, here’s how we foresee the team’s forward lines taking shape next season.
- Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Kirby Dach
- Alex Newhook – Sean Monahan – Josh Anderson
- Juraj Slafkovsky – Christian Dvorak– Brendan Gallagher
-
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard – Jake Evans – Mike Hoffman
Extras: Joel Armia, Rem Pitlick
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