Canadiens Linked To 3 Veteran Centers
The Montreal Canadiens are looking for centers and scoring. Those are two things that aren't easy to find in the NHL, especially earlier in the season when teams don't necessarily want to trade away pieces like that before more teams get desperate and have bidding wars near the trade deadline. But this may be a unique season where the top of the 2026 draft looks to be so good that teams that are going to be out of the playoff race give up early and sell.
The Canadiens are looking to get back to the playoffs after finally breaking through, but they have injury and center issues. Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach, and Patrik Laine are all injured from the forward group, and the first two hurt the most. Oliver Kapanen, who has played in the second line center position this season, has impressed, but he isn't a second line center that the team is going to succeed with this season.
The center depth includes Jake Evans, as well as Joe Veleno, who has one goal in 16 games this season. David Pagnotta reported, "Montreal has been linked to Nazem Kadri, but I also wonder about veterans like Brayden Schenn and Ryan O'Reilly as potential targets later in the season."
It doesn't appear like Kadri is going to be traded early in the season. At the very least, it should take until the Calgary Flames are firmly out of the playoff race, as there is still confidence in that core for an unknown reason to me. Kadri has four goals and leads the Flames in points with 18 in 24 games. The team has won three games in a row, but has 19 points in 24 games, good for 31st in the league. Kadri has three more years left at $7 million AAV, but that gives the Canadiens a solid window.
The St. Louis Blues aren't much better with 20 points in 23 games and just seven wins on the season. Schenn is a playoff-type player and won't give the team as much offense. He can play second line center though, which is what the Canadiens are solely looking for in an upgrade. He is a slightly less of a commitment with two years left on his deal at $6.5 million AAV, but would be easier to acquire than Kadri and may very well be a better leader and player for a couple of playoff runs.
An O'Reilly trade is absolutely on the table as the Nashville Predators are open for business. They are in last place in the NHL with 16 points in 22 games and have just six wins. After the 2024 offseason, the team has been in shambles and hasn't been able to recover. It is selling time and O'Reilly still has enough in his to give a team a good second line center. He is a great two-way player, has six goals and 13 points on the season, and has just one more year at $4.5 million AAV, which is a steal and very affordable for the Canadiens.
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