Report: Scout Would Be 'Shocked' If Canadiens Don't Make This One Major Addition

The Montreal Canadiens didn't get a lot done at the trade deadline, but it doesn't mean they didn't try. Nevertheless, they were never going to mortgage the future for the rest of this season.

But come the summer, there will be one major focus for GM Kent Hughes: Bolster the team at center. Yes, they tried at the deadline, but again, they weren't prepared to pay those inflated prices, as a source told insider Marco D'Amico of rg.org:

"Almost every single potential playoff team in the NHL was looking for help down the middle, and there were very few options available.

"You saw the prices paid for (Brock) Nelson, (Scott) Laughton, and the other centers to go shortly before the deadline? Those are very steep prices because there’s a higher sense of desperation during this time of the year."

So for a team looking to build for the future, center will be the major area for Hughes to address in the offseason, as a pro scout told D'Amico:

I'd be shocked if the Canadiens didn’t trade for an age-appropriate center this summer, especially with a young phenom like Ivan Demidov landing in Montreal next season. From what I’m hearing, the Canadiens feel like that’s the missing piece to get them to the playoffs. Much easier to acquire a top-6 center with term in the offseason than in February or March, especially when you’re mostly offering futures.

With Nick Suzuki locked-in on the top line, a second-line center would be the ideal addition for the Habs, as noted, to play alongside superstar-in-waiting Demidov. Alex Newhook, while he meets the 'age-appropriate' part, at just 24, is not the impactful man in the middle that the burgeoning Demidov (or Juraj Slafkovsky) will need.

As D'Amico summarizes, "Whether it’s through a trade or free agency, the Canadiens are expected to be in the mix for a significant addition down the middle—one that could push them from a fringe playoff team to a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference".

The Habs are currently just two points out of a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, but tied with two other teams and a couple of others close behind.