Canadiens should fix their blue line before chasing a second line centre

Ok, just hear me out before you jump to conclusions! Do the Canadiens need to find some reinforcements up the middle? Absolutely. Do they need to break down doors and blow up phones to solve that problem this summer? I don’t think so. I believe getting Lane Hutson a stable defensive partner is a much more pressing need.

The case against a second-line centre

My case is more against the need for a 2C specifically this summer, and it’s more just the state of the market than the actual want to improve at the position. Who do you go out and get? Dylan Larkin is basically a non-starter for a handful of reasons, like his three-team trade list and the fact that Steve Yzerman would probably fight tooth and nail to keep Larkin out of the Atlantic Division.

You could look at possibly revisiting the thought of Robert Thomas, and the Blues have been a good trading partner in the past, but again, that’s if he would even be available and at what cost? If Knies, a winger, was worth top prospects and first round picks, what do you think the cost of a proven centre would be?

There’s also the fact that the Canadiens have internal stopgaps at the 2C position. Are they perfect? Not necessarily, but the possibilities are there. I’ve been pretty high on the possibility of Alex Newhook being able to fill that role in the interim, and his faceoff stats aren’t horrible (47.5% in 42 games played). I really see him as an option.

Yes, your centreman is traditionally the one who drives play, but it doesn’t always have to be the case, for example, the success that the Slafkovsky, Demidov, Kapanen line saw with Slafkovsky as the primary play driver. Even Hughes and Gorton have said as much, with Gorton stating at the end of last season, “There are other ways of improving your skill level in your top 6…There are teams that have players that are not necessarily centres, that are 100-point players, that are driving lines. Very creative players. There’s more than one way to do this.”

The case to find Lane Hutson a partner on defense this offseason

Two things can be true at the same time. One, Lane Hutson is a fantastic player on the right side; he won a Calder that way. Two, he is THAT much better when playing on his left side. Arpon Basu of The Athletic and TSN has been hammering that point home for months, as outlined in his notebook on January 5th. Hutson can be that much more effective when playing on his natural side, not just in goals for, but on the defensive side of the puck as well.

Defensive stability has been an issue all season long. There’s a reason that when Kaiden Guhle went out of the lineup with injury, the Habs blueline went into disarray. Having such disparity between top three talent in Matheson, Hutson, and Dobson, then Carrier, Struble, and Xhekaj was noticeable.

If Hutson can have a reliable, steady partner to help kill plays in the defensive end and lock down the blueline when in the offensive zone, I think we may be able to see a more heightened version of number 48. Hutson naturally plays with more confidence and is more willing to make aggressive plays when he can trust his partner.

Who knows? Maybe David Reinbacher could be that guy; it certainly seems to be the role the Canadiens envisioned for him when he was drafted. But he’s unproven, still with very limited pro experience, so relying on that, at least in the short term, seems like a risky move.

Not to mention, Arber Xhekaj is an RFA at the end of next season, with Struble hitting the same status at the end of the next. Alexandre Carrier is also a UFA at the same time Struble’s contract is up. The point of all that being that the defensive tides are shifting in Montreal, and getting Hutson a proven pairing should be at the top of that list.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow