Habs’ Centre Depth Could Lead To Big Trade
The Canadiens have a great problem right now – they have too many quality centres in the organization. With Alex Galchenyuk taking his rightful place as top line centre, the middle is now crowded and the Habs boast a lot of depth at the position. So much so, it is tough to determine who will be pushed to the wing for the foreseeable future. Blessed with many AHL prospects capable of playing centre as well, the Canadiens are so well stocked down the middle that a trade may be the best way to restore balance to the line-up while actually improving the team.
Lars Eller‘s recent undisclosed injury forced the coaching staff to give Alex Galchenyuk another shot at centre ice and it paid dividends. Finally, Chucky has begun showing what Habs fans have been waiting for since he was drafted in 2012. He took the opportunity and earned his spot as Montreal’s top pivot. David Desharnais was bumped down the line-up to third line centre, and has been performing very well in that role. With Eller just about ready to suit up for the team again, Michel Therrien and company have a tough decision to make. That decision is who to play at the wing instead of their natural centre position.
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Galchenyuk cannot be moved back to the wing after producing so well in his natural position. They can’t mess with that first line too much at this point.
has always been a centre in this organization, and you just can’t see his game translate well to the wing. He is a reliable two-way centre that fills the second line centre role so well, it would be ludicrous to try and shift him over. “Oublie
ç
a,” as most Montrealers would say. Forget that.
was brought in to win faceoffs and fill the role of a veteran fourth line centre. He has thus far filled that role very well (
1st in the NHL with 62.4% faceoff success
).
That leaves Eller and Desharnais battling it out for the right to play at their natural position. With the way the lines are organized now, one of them will have to play as a left winger. We will find out what the coaching staff is planning once Eller is reinserted into the line-up. It’s hard to make the case for either of them to play wing though. Desharnais has been successful since playing on the third line, as he’s been pitted against weaker competition than he was used to facing with Max Pacioretty as a number one centre. He has had more time and space to create offense and also has a pretty good faceoff percentage (54.3%, good for 22nd in the league). His diminutive size would work against him along the side boards and his less-than-average foot speed would also deter him from thriving at the wing.
While bigger and a little faster, Eller may not make a great winger either. We have seen him play left wing before, albeit for a short time, and the results were not too impressive. He has also been pretty good in the faceoff circle this season and produces better in the open ice at centre. My feeling is that Eller will probably be tested at the wing again anyway, but it’s hard to imagine he would make a better winger than centre. I doubt it can last for long.
Feb. 19, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers center Derek Stepan (21) and Montreal Canadiens center Lars Eller (81) face off during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
This whole situation is a boon for GM Marc Bergevin, as he can now deal from a position of great strength in negotiations with other NHL clubs. The Canadiens are good, but they could still use upgrades at the wing and on defense to really be Cup contenders. With this embarrassment of riches at centre, they are in a good position to make a big trade. Thus far this season, Bergevin has initiated some small trades involving bottom six forwards and depth defensemen. Having a surplus of such quality players as he does now opens the door to make a big trade. Think along the lines of the Tomas Vanek acquisition last year. The Canadiens can potentially rig up a deal that would net them an impact player that could put them over the top in the playoffs.
It is good for a team in the playoff hunt to have lots of depth at every position, for when the injury bug inevitably hits. While trading away one of these productive centres could potentially leave a hole if one of the others gets hurt (or catches the mumps), the Habs are lucky enough to have centre depth throughout the organization. The surplus of good players extends all the way to the team’s AHL affiliate. Quietly, in the background, several Hamilton Bulldogs players have been making the case to be given a shot with the big club this year.
Sep 25, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens left wing Charles Hudon (75) before the game against Colorado Avalanche at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Charles Hudon is having an amazing pro year, leading the AHL in points as a rookie (9 goals, 22 assists in 28 games). Though drafted as a winger, the Bulldogs opted to try out Hudon as a centre this season and it has panned out very well, as Kenny MacMillan details here. We have had the chance to see Sven Andrighetto in action with the Habs recently. Although a winger, he has been used as a centre by the Bulldogs and even in his first NHL game with the Canadiens, in which he scored a goal. Despite being sent back down to Hamilton, Andrighetto made a great first impression. Both Hudon and Andrighetto make great candidates as temporary call-ups in case one of the Habs’ current centres get hurt. If management opts to trade either Desharnais or Eller to improve the team, there are plenty of replacements available internally.
While there is always the thin possibility that one of Desharnais or Eller could end up being a productive winger, it is more likely that the Canadiens will be overloaded with pure centremen while lacking an impact winger. The best solution is to take the trade route. A trade package involving either Eller or Desharnais, a high draft pick, and a good prospect could bring in a star winger for the Habs top line. In this league, you have to give up value to get value, and the Canadiens are lucky enough right now to have tons of value to go around.