10 Trade Targets at Center For Montreal Canadiens to Consider

Taking a look at 10 centers that the Canadiens should target this summer

The Montreal Canadiens badly need a top-six center. This, everyone knows by know. But going into the offseason, how GM Kent Hughes will accomplish that feat remains to be seen.

There's no shortage of opinions, though, on who the Habs should bring in to serve as center on the second line for, potentially, Ivan Demidov. The latest list comes to us from Vincent Duquette of TVA Sports in Montreal. He lists 10 pivots that the Canadiens should target this summer, with some being more viable and realistic than others:

Bo Horvat, New York Islanders
Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
Ryan O’Reilly, Nashville Predators
Marco Rossi, Minnesota Wild
Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks
Pavel Zacha, Boston Bruins
Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken
Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers
Mavrik Bourque, Dallas Stars

Looking through the list, Horvat and Barzal are two key playing in the Islanders' top-six, and it's doubtful that a new incoming GM would want to divest himself of that. Last week, we learned from an Islanders analyst that any talk about Barzal being available is "unfounded and untrue". Besides, he hasn't really gotten a lot of run at center the past couple of years.

O'Reilly put the kibosh on any potential trade talk at this season's deadline, when he made it clear he had no desire to leave Nashville.

Now we get into the "maybes" list: Rossi is a restricted free agent, and there's already some consternation around whether or not the Wild want to commit to him for the long term. Perhaps he could be had? Either by a sign-and-trade or a simple outright offer sheet.

Could the Canadiens be targeting Trevor Zegras again this summer?

Zegras's name has been churning through the rumor mill for well over a year now. He had his second consecutive disappointing season in Anaheim, and now with new head coach Joel Quenneville on board, it's quite possible that they will finally move on from the former Calder Trophy runner-up. Certainly, pairing him up on a line with Demidov could create nightly highlight reels that would break the internet. But are the Habs ready to take on a risky proposition like Zegras, who doesn't offer any defense or physical play?

Zacha had a discouraging season in Boston, so perhaps he might be gettable as well.

Could Malkin team up with Demidov as a Russian Connection in Montreal?

Malkin and Beniers are highly unlikely to be moved by their respective teams. Malkin is a Penguins lifer—as long as Crosby is there, it feels like he will be too. However... he is one of Demidov's idols, so perhaps he makes an exception?

As for Beniers, for a Seattle team that's struggled on offense the past two seasons, trading away one of their young up-and-coming offensive weapons and a former Calder Trophy winner seems like a backwards move to make.

Zibanejad could certainly be on the block for the re-tooling Rangers, but he does own a full no-move clause.

Which centers are the most realistic targets for Montreal to target?

Bourque is a very realistic target. He stepped up this season to earn a regular role on the 4th line, but he obviously isn't a part of the Dallas core that's battling it out in the playoffs right now, and he'd have far more room to grow on a team like Montreal. The Habs should be one of many teams taking a run at the restricted free agent. Whether he'd immediately come in as a second-line center, however, is highly in doubt.