The Montreal Canadiens entered the offseason with a clear roster need to find a center for their second line. Unfortunately, those are not necessarily easy to find, and when teams do have one, they don't like to give them up.
With Michael Hage heading back to Michigan and the Red Wings looking for a new general manager, which means Dylan Larkin is not going to be moved any time soon, the Canadiens are preparing for a training camp battle with essentially the same players competing for that spot last season.
This is a look at three of the likely candidates to be competing for that spot.
Oliver Kapanen has the most upside but still way too many questions
The obvious choice is Oliver Kapanen, who was in that role for most of the regular season. After he had two points in 18 games during the 2024-25 season, he took a big step forward with 22 goals and 15 assists in 82 games this past season.
However, he was unable to hold that spot during the playoffs and was a healthy scratch for the majority of it. When he was in the lineup, his ice time was extremely limited and averaged around 8:20 per game.
Kapanen is only 22 years old, and he certainly could bounce back from a disappointing playoffs. It is a risk for the Canadiens to put him back in that role, but with a little more experience, it might end up being something he can grow into.
Can Kirby Dach stay healthy and fill that role?
Kirby Dach certainly has the potential to be a second-line center, but injuries have been a major concern for him. Over the past three seasons, he has played only a total of 96 games due to those injuries.
The Canadiens were able to avoid arbitration with Dach this offseason, and the two sides agreed to a one-year deal. If Dach can stay healthy for an entire season, then he certainly could be an option but again, that is a big question.
The other concern with Dach is that he struggles on the faceoff and has a career win percentage of only 36.5%, which is not ideal for a Top 6 center.
Jake Evans may be their best option at this point
If Oliver Kapanen is not able to bounce back, then Jake Evans may be the Montreal Canadiens' best option at this point. Last season, Evans played in 68 games and had 12 goals and 12 assists while averaging around 15 minutes of ice time.
While these stats don't jump off the page, he has some underlying stats that make him an interesting option. The first is that the past two seasons, Evans has had a shooting percentage over 15% and been very productive with his limited shot attempts.
In addition to that, he is one of the better players on the roster on the faceoff and even set a career-high last season at 55.9%.
Ultimately, Martin St. Louis needs to find a player who complements Ivan Demidov the best and that might end up being Jake Evans this season.
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