Juraj Slafkovsky practicing with centres sparks positional question

The Montreal Canadiens are plugging their way through the rebuild, and there is still one burning question - who is the second-line centre?

Kirby Dach is an easy answer, but there are some problems and big question marks about that. Tony Marinaro and Simon Boisvert discussed Dach's age (23, soon to be 24) and how it raises questions. Nick Suzuki at 23 years old was relatively established as a top-six centre, the same cannot be said about Dach at this juncture.

Then two other guys have played minutes as the second-line centre - Jake Evans, who is playing there right now. And there is Alex Newhook, who much like Dach doesn't look like a viable option long-term down the middle. Other than those three players I just mentioned, there isn't a viable top-two centre potential player on the roster.

The waiting game is likely the best option to serve the Canadiens well. I don't think that trading for a centre makes any sense, but rather developing the wingers on the wing. Then plugging the second line centre role with Evans until Michael Hage is ready. There is also the 2025 NHL Draft where, should the Canadiens slide into the top five, they could draft a centre, who would put a nice bowtie on their prospect pool.

Juraj Slafkovsky also drew attention for lining up with the Habs centres, while running through drills with former NHL centre Marc Bureau. Some believe that he is possibly being given a try at centre, to see if he has the potential to be a top-six centre. I believe that he just wants to round out his game and be prepared when his centreman gets tossed from the faceoff, which happens frequently.

Just to be clear, I don't think they should stop drafting at each position to ensure the quality and quantity are there for the Habs future.

Lane Hutson - a gadget player?

Lane Hutson was touted as a gadget player on the Sick Podcast with Marinaro and Boisvert. What Boisvert means by that is that Hutson isn't a Norris Trophy-calibre defender, but a specialty player who won't be deployed to shut down top players. He feels that fans are hyping him up for more than what he is.

Boisvert compared Hutson to Taysom Hill, who is utilized only for specialty plays but not as a full-time starter. He is effective at what he does, but cracks would emerge in his game if he were in there full-time. One thing that you can't deny about Boisvert is that he has a strong opinion and he stands by it.

Whether you agree or not, Boisvert gets the listeners engaged.