The Montreal Canadiens' search for a second line centreman will continue this offseason after General Manager Kent Hughes was unable to acquire one last summer or during the 2025-26 campaign.
Top-six centres don't come cheap and Kent Hughes knows that. Given where Montreal is in their rebuild, if you still want to call it that at this point, they're in a position that they can part with some of the numerous assets Hughes & Co. have accumulated over the years, whether that be draft picks or one of their top prospects.
A few teams within the Atlantic Division have already made moves over the last week as they look to improve on their respective performances in the 2025-26 season and if Montreal wants to compete for top spot starting this fall, they cannot go into the 2026-27 campaign with one of Oliver Kapanen, Kirby Dach (if they re-sign him) or Jake Evans as their second line centreman.
Three second line centre options for the Montreal Canadiens to consider
Mason McTavish (Anaheim Ducks)
Anaheim Ducks centreman Mason McTavish is no stranger to his name popping up in the rumour mill. Last summer, McTavish became a restricted free agent and negotiations didn't go as either side had expected. Despite those trade rumors, the Ducks held onto McTavish as they tried to work towards a contract that benefited both parties. After missing the first week of training camp, McTavish ended his holdout and signed a six-year deal with the Ducks.
Age-wise, McTavish fits perfectly into what Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes is trying to build. The former third overall pick doesn't turn 24 until January 30th and comes with a relatively fair average annual value of $7 million USD. In each of his four seasons in the National Hockey League, McTavish has hit the 40-point plateau, with his career-high of 52 coming back in the 2024-25 campaign.
The one downfall of acquiring Mason McTavish would be his foot speed. McTavish's max skating speed was 21.85 MPH, which came in a game against Carolina in October, while he only had 29 speed bursts over 20 MPH, which was well below the NHL average of 75.2, according to NHL Edge stats. Defensively, McTavish can be a lot better too.
McTavish has the potential to see his offensive game take off, if put in the right situations. In Montreal, centering a line that features Ivan Demidov would certainly increase his chances of going from a consistent 40-point player to a 60-65-point guy as early as next season, with further growth in the years to follow.
Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks)
The past few years haven't gone swimmingly for Swedish centreman Elias Pettersson in Vancouver. Since registering 102 points during the 2022-23 season, Pettersson has seen his production drop off significantly. In 2023-24, the season which he signed his long-term extension, he put up 89 points and then just one goal & six points in 13 playoff games.
Unfortunately for Pettersson and the Canucks, that production continued to drop. During the 2024-25 season, the Sundsvall, Sweden native only tallied 45 points in 64 games and followed that up with 51 points in 74 games this past year.
Pettersson has the talent and skillset required to be an elite player in the National Hockey League. We've all seen it and it was the reason why the Canucks took him with the fifth overall pick back in 2017. For whatever reason it may be, it hasn't worked out for either both Pettersson and the Canucks since he signed his eight-year deal worth $11.6 million annually.
That $11.6 million salary is not going to be easy to move for Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson, but at the end of the day, it feels that a fresh start is needed for Elias Pettersson. Could Montreal be a fit? If Pettersson's willing to waive his no-movement clause, then sure, but it would require the Canucks to retain a significant portion of Elias Pettersson's salary. That salary retention would also raise the price Kent Hughes would have to pay in order to land the 27-year-old.
Vincent Trocheck (New York Rangers)
After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025, the New York Rangers had high expectations for their 100th season in the National Hockey League. However, the opposite occurred. The Rangers finished the regular season dead last in both the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference, picking up just 14 wins on home ice. Understandably, changes were going to happen.
The first big move made by New York Rangers General Manager Chris Drury came back in February when he shipped Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings. New York is hoping to make some more moves this summer and centreman Vincent Trocheck has drawn a ton of interest dating back to before the March 6th trade deadline. Trocheck is expected to be moved over the next week or so.
A number of teams are pursuing Vincent Trocheck and while they haven't been mentioned up to this point, the Montreal Canadiens would be an intriguing landing spot. Trocheck is an ideal candidate for the second line centre role, but there's a big difference when compared to the other two I've mentioned - he's on the opposite side of 30 and turns 33 in a little over two weeks.
Trochek doesn't exactly fit in age-wise with what the Canadiens are trying to build, but for the production he's had in recent years at a exceptionally reasonable cap hit of $5.625 million, it would be a great pick up for Montreal. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native is under contract for three more years and as of July 1st, his modified no-trade clause will feature a 10-team no-trade list. It's unclear if Montreal is on that list.
In 67 games this season, Trocheck registered 53 points (16 goals, 37 assists), along with 64 penalty minutes and was a minus-16.