The Canadian | A center line to (re)build

“When D-Vo comes back, we’re going to have six guys capable of playing center. It’s fun to have that, because center players are important in that league…” Last September 23, in the middle of training camp, Martin St-Louis was enthusiastic about the number of options that were available to him in the center position.

Four and a half months later, no one is talking about abundance anymore. Injured, Kirby Dach and Christian Dvorak (D-Vo for short) will no longer play this season. Sean Monahan was just traded. And Alex Newhook, who injured his ankle in late November, has yet to take part in a full practice. He was back on skates before the Habs’ bye week began, and we can expect to see him again sometime in February. When exactly? We cannot say.

When the Canadian returns to action next Tuesday, we can therefore expect that only two of the six center players from last camp will be in uniform against the Washington Capitals: Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans.

It’s so thin that it’s beyond belief. Kent Hughes called for “resilience” from his players on Friday to face the end of the season. He’s right, they will need it.

The CH general manager probably pulled off a masterstroke by extracting a first-round pick from the Winnipeg Jets in return for Sean Monahan, even if, in the bubble of Montreal fans and commentators, the veteran was seen as a half- God.

Hughes’ feat is double when we remember the first round pick that the Flames had to give up to get rid of Monahan in 2022. Thanks to the forward, the Canadiens’ GM therefore transformed air into two picks first round. It’s grandiose.

This does not prevent, as we have mentioned, the Habs from finding themselves in a lamentable state in the center position. Hughes said he was optimistic that Newhook could be seen again soon. The problem is that he wasn’t very good when he took over the role after Kirby Dach fell in action early in the campaign.

From October 17 to November 2, he had three points in eight games and posted a team-worst rating of -6 in that span. His career success rate in the faceoff circle is less than 40%. The moment Christian Dvorak was able to play, Newhook moved back to the wing. His return to the center will therefore take place under the same circumstances as in October: for lack of anything better.

No reinforcement

The 23-year-old striker is, moreover, the last injured player whose return to health is still expected this season. In other words, there will be no more reinforcements from the infirmary. And to hear Kent Hughes speak, there won’t be any from the outside either. Help, barring a surprise, will come from the Laval Rocket.

In December and January, we saw Mitchell Stephens, then Lucas Condotta, for two matches, pilot the fourth unit. “We will continue to see this style of players” in this position, announced Hughes. In Condotta’s case, you would think the organization wanted to see what he has to offer in the NHL. However, its use was so minimal during his short hearing last week that one wonders what conclusion we could draw about it.

The other options, internally, are called Lias Andersson and Philippe Maillet, unless we go into “total experience” mode with Jan Mysak or Riley Kidney. Asked about the possibility of offering an NHL contract to Brandon Gignac, the Rocket’s leading scorer, Hughes didn’t say no, but didn’t seem excited either.

Assessment

In reality, all personnel in this position will be reviewed over the coming months.

Jake Evans will be 28 years old next June. Management knows what to expect from them. Will he still be part of the plans when his contract expires in July 2025? Or will we want to improve on the fourth line? In the same vein, it is difficult to believe that Christian Dvorak, who will also become an uncompensated free agent in 2025, belongs to the future of the club.

When we examine the organization even more carefully, the reserve is not much more flourishing. Owen Beck and Filip Mesar are enjoying success in the Ontario Junior League, but at 19 and 20, respectively, they still look like projects – especially Mesar.

In short, in the entire hierarchy of the Canadian, the center is undoubtedly the position with the least talent. After Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach, what are the safe bets in this long reconstruction process? Is there even one? Beck, maybe?

Kent Hughes now has 23 picks heading into the next two drafts, including seven in the first two rounds. He has already indicated in the past that he intends to use this wealth to conclude transactions. The priority project suddenly becomes clearer.

After all, as his coach summed it up so well: center players are important in this league.