Entering the final month of the year without NHL action there are some very interesting players seemingly available. The Canadiens are still looking to fill the top line Center position and it's not clear whether Drouin or Galchenyuk will be up for the task. Danault was thrust into that position last season and while performing admirably, and responsibly, he is better suited for the second line Center role at this time. Could he move forward and become a first line player? Maybe, but it would be wise to make a bold move to bring in proven talent. A move so bold that no Canadiens GM has been able to make for almost two decades.

I'm going to cut to the chase here. The Canadiens have about 6 more solid years of goaltending left in Price and we can pretty much marry up the Canadiens Stanley Cup window with that time. Bergevin has had more than enough time to find and develop someone to take on that role but poor draft choices coupled with poor development (Galchenyuk/Therrien) have left the Canadiens looking like a fairly solid all round team... except at C.

So what can they do to remedy this situation as to take advantage of the window of opportunity Price provides? There is only one solution: Trade.

The most obvious target is the disgruntled Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche. Duchene is coming off a terrible year in which he could only produce 18 goals and 23 assists in 77 games on a historically bad Avalanche team. I think Duchene is very good but also inconsistent. He isn't likely to produce more than 30 goals and 30+ assists in a season so he's not a elite point producer and standing at 5'11" tall he isn't a physically imposing player. He is a speedster with great hands and creativity though and if he is the only available option for center help then Bergevin must keep making efforts to pry him from Colorado. A change in scenery is likely all this player wants at the moment and adding him to the Canadiens core would do nothing but help.

However, the rumored cost for Duchene is nonsensical at this time (top 4 D man, top prospect, 1st and 2nd round pick, and possibly more!) and the media types have mentioned that there is a likely scenario where Duchene remains with the Avalanche to start the season. In my opinion GM Sakic has bungled this issue since the season ended. The Av's have $11 million in cap space and 3 defensemen signed on for next year: Barrie, Johnson, Barberio. This is just terrible management. Sakic is hoping to fill out his D corp with Duchene, while also acquiring additional assets in the form of picks. This shows Sakic isn't reading the room very well at the moment. He will have to likely accept either a #2-3 D man and either a top prospect or first round pick, not both. Until reality sets in for Sakic, Duchene is likely to remain in Colorado.

So the Canadiens top line center issue will remain unresolved heading into the 17-18 season? Possibly. But I have to consider one other big option that is lingering around the hockey world at the moment. John Tavares of the New York Islanders.

Tavares is entering the final season of his current deal where he earns $5.5 million per year, avg, and is likely to double that cap hit when he signs his next deal. The reason for mentioning Tavares as a trade target is not because the Isles can't afford him, they only have $39 million committed to the 18-19 season, but because we are month past the Islanders officially being able to re-sign Tavares to a new deal. My feeling is that if John Tavares wanted to remain in Long Island then he would be signed already. GM Snow is not afraid of big deals or big contracts so there's no doubt there is a very large 8 year deal sitting in Tavares home office. Without a signature it's as good as a trade request the longer it sits. So, if the option is to spend a ridiculous amount for Duchene then why not spend huge on Tavares?

Tavares is likely a 30+ goal, 40 assist player who has always played with lesser talent in Long Island. The Isles have no concrete goaltending plans in place and their starting forward group is very thin. They do however have a couple of high profile center prospects coming up in J Ho-Sang, M Barzal, and promising left wing M Dal Colle. All of these players represent potential, but Tavares turns 27 this season and I doubt he wants to wait any further for his shot at a title. The Isles are primed for a retool and if I wanted the Canadiens to pay for anyone it would be for John Tavares and the subsequent 7 year, 73.5 million dollar deal signed the same day.

What could it take to pry him out of New York? Are the Canadiens part of his 8 team no trade clause? I think the no trade clause could be a non issue if Tavares wanted to win. It would be difficult to discount a teams competitiveness when they have Price, Weber, Drouin, Galchenyuk, Gallagher, Pacioretty, Lehkonen, Petry and Alzner so unless he just can't fathom playing for Montreal, there is a definite possibility that if the right deal was made, Tavares would join the Canadiens.

As far as what it could take to land him? Easy answer: A LOT. Realistic answer? The Canadiens 2018 and 2019 1st round picks, Juulsen or Mete, Danault or Gallagher, and one of Lindgren or McNiven. This would leave the Isles with a Tavares sized hole at center but if your options are trade the player or lose them for nothing? Well, there are big decisions to be made by Snow if Tavares keeps putting his contract offers in the shredder. The trade I suggested gives them a lot of value. The firsts can be used or packaged for another deal, a top D prospect, an ideal #2 C or top 6 warrior winger with captain potential, and an elite goaltender prospect that they could likely use immediately in a back up role to ease into the starting job.

There's also the possibility of trading Galchenyuk for Tavares and it would likely be Galchenyuk, 2018 1st, 2018 2nd, McNiven/Lindgren, and another piece. The other piece could also be substantial if there's a, likely, bidding war going on for Tavares. This isn't a moody, smallish Matt Duchene we are talking about here. The cost to acquire Tavares will be astronomical, and it should be, but it also has to come with a 7 year deal signed the same day. If you're going to spend big, then spend wisely.

Tavares would bring instant legitimacy to the Canadiens efforts to win a championship and is a proven playoff performer. A line of Drouin, Tavares, Pacioretty would be as dangerous as any in the league that didn't have Sidney Crosby on it. If the Canadiens are open to dealing their best prospect in Sergachev for immediate help then empty the cupboards and drop a couple late first round picks on Snow and have him convince Tavares that Montreal is the place to be.

If the options are overpay for Duchene or overpay for Tavares, the choice is simple. If only making a deal of that magnitude was equally as simple.

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