The Montreal Canadiens' search for a second line centerman is ongoing after the club was unable to land one during the off-season. It's been an area that General Manager Kent Hughes has been looking to address for the last couple of off-seasons now, but with the high cost to acquire a legit second line centerman to play behind Nick Suzuki, it looks like it'll be Oliver Kapanen's role for a second straight campaign.
While Kapanen enjoyed plenty of success on that second line last season, alongside Ivan Demidov, the Finn is probably suited for a third line role in the long run and ideally, the Canadiens would have loved to have added a 2C by now.
Over the last 12+ months, Hughes and the Canadiens have been linked to several centermen and fans can add a new name to that list heading into the final weekend before the regular season begins - Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets.
Montreal Canadiens Linked to Winnipeg Jets Forward Mark Scheifele
In an article for Sportsnet on Thursday, Nick Kypreos mentioned that the Montreal Canadiens have asked the Winnipeg Jets about Mark Scheifele. The Jets are in a tough spot heading into the 2026-27 season as goaltender Connor Hellebuyck's trade request was made public, with the star netminder not reporting to training camp and subsequently being suspended by the organization.
Hellebuyck's trade request could lead to a trickle down effect throughout the Winnipeg Jets organization and Kypreos wonders if they could look to move Mark Scheifele in order to land a package that could help them in the years to come.
When it comes to the Montreal Canadiens and the potential package they could put together for Mark Scheifele, Kypreos mentions several options including top forward prospect Michael Hage, Oliver Kapenen, Kirby Dach and Samuel Montembeault, the latter of whom could be looking for a new home, assuming the club decides to go with Jacob Fowler on the opening night roster.
Samuel Montembeault would then share the crease with Stuart Skinner, again, assuming the Jets are able to get a Connor Hellebuyck trade done. It feels unlikely at this point that both sides can reconcile and that the only way this ends for the Jets is a trade involving their star netminder, opening up a spot for someone like Montembeault.
The Canadiens are among the teams asking about Scheifele after failing on Larkin. They have their eye on him as the perfect 1-2 punch to support top line centre Nick Suzuki. It would, of course, be a hefty price that could include prospect Michael Hage, or 23-year-old NHLer Oliver Kapanen, among others (Kirby Dach is wrapped up in this too). And the thought of adding Sam Montembeault to work in tandem with Stuart Skinner is intriguing for Winnipeg, because they then wouldn’t need to get a goalie back in a Hellebuyck trade. Kypreos said.
On paper, adding a player like Mark Scheifele would be a great move for Kent Hughes, especially after the 33-year-old set a career-high in points last season with 103 (36 G, 67 A) in 82 games. However on the other side of the equation, Scheifele turns 34 in March and has five years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $8.5 million. Regression is expected as he gets older, maybe not this year or next, but it's unlikely he'll be able to sustain his current level of production until the end of his contract.
That's one thing the Canadiens would have to weigh if they were to pursue Scheifele. Do they want to give up a big piece of their future in Michael Hage, plus other assets, in order to acquire him? Sportsnet's Eric Engels doesn't think that the Canadiens would have much of an appetite to give up top prospects for a player that set to turn 34 later this season.
''I would say this: I don't think the Canadiens are throwing prospect over prospect into a deal for a soon-to-be 34-year-old player with five years left on a contract. I don't think that washes with anything they've been trying to do in terms of how careful they are about bringing in another centerman here or another player to complement their top 6 that would be age-appropriate and fit the core.'' Engels said while making an appearance on The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro on Thursday night.
In a perfect world, the Canadiens, as Eric Engels mentions, would love to have someone in the second line center role that fits in age-wise with the core. That could be anyone from 21/22 to 27 and quite frankly, players of that age, especially ones that are of the top-six (2C) caliber, aren't available very often and when they are, come with an astronomical cost.
With the regular season opening up on Tuesday, barring a last minute deal, the Canadiens will begin the year with Oliver Kapanen in that 2C role, as mentioned. We'll see how the season unfolds and who becomes available leading up to the trade deadline on March 1st, but I'd be shocked if Kent Hughes doesn't add a second line centerman at some point during the 2026-27 campaign.