Canadiens' Top 4 Trade Candidates For 2026 NHL Off-Season
The Canadiens have some trade candidates to watch this off-season.
Video Transcript
This a team you just run it back, or is it a change that needs to be made, to take this team over the top?
I think for the most part, you run it back.
I would like the Canadiens to get an upgrade down the middle.
I, I think, you know, Nick Suzuki very much looks like a, a number one center in all respects, but I'm not so sure about Alex Newhook as their number two.
you know, if there's an option out there in free agency or if there's a, a trade that could be made where you, you know, solidify, that position down the middle, I think th- that's really the only thing missing from the Canadiens.
I think you've got the goaltender, you've got the defensemen in, Lane Hudson, and obviously you've got a lot of firepower, you know, a lot of firepower that's g- gonna get better, whether it's Slafkovsky or Demidov.
I think both those guys haven't even, you know, got into their prime of their career.
So, you know, the only thing really missing is, you know, that number two center spot.
And, you know, at times they thought Kirby Dach was gonna be the answer, but, you know, he looks like he's probably better situated, you know, in a bottom six role.
But if they can get a true number two center, I think that's, you know, y- you've got a team there that should be competing year after year.
Yeah, that, you're right, and that, that's a, and it's a huge hole though.
You look at, you know, true, like, Stanley Cup-winning teams, and it's nothing against Newhook because he was obviously- Oh, absolutely absolutely incredible, and clutch for these guys, and a huge reason why they went as far as they w- they did.
But, you know, a Stanley Cup-winning team doesn't have, you know, that's not their number two center.
that's, that's like your third line center because, and then, and now, now you have a great third line center.
Like you don't wanna be Y- you wanna be having your third line center as, as like a, "Wow, that guy's your third line center?"
Not having a guy as your second line center who's borderline maybe shouldn't be a second line center, and that's, that can be the, the difference.
And I think with Montreal it's just, yeah, the, the experience they got, you know, y- you do, you never wanna stop looking, figure out what those holes were.
Obviously they were exposed pretty good against Carolina, but they'd also played a ton of hockey as well.
And, you know, for the first three games of that series they w- they were a lot closer than the last two.
But, just th- these guys, they are so young and, and getting this, this action, these experiences, multiple game sevens, running into a wall, like this is all stuff you're gonna learn and they're so young that, that they're gonna have more opportunities.
And obviously discovering, not discovering but r- realizing what you probably have in Jacob Dobes, is pretty exciting for the team as well.
So I think that you run it back for the most part because of that.
These guys are gonna gain the experience.
They're young.
This was a, a huge bonus for them to get all of this, and you look to tinker along the way.
