While the Montreal Canadiens' season continues, it is very clear that one of their top priorities this summer is to find another center behind Nick Suzuki. General manager Kent Hughes has shown he isn't afraid to swing big in the summer after trading for Noah Dobson last year, and this season, that target might be Nico Hischier.
Recently, Pierre LeBrun with The Athletic wrote about the contract negotiations between Hischier, who has one year left on his contract, and the New Jersey Devils. LeBrun described the negotiations as "amicable and positive," but if it gets to a point where the Devils believe they are too far apart, they could consider looking to make a trade.
LeBrun mentioned the Kings, the Wild, and the Canadiens specifically, who will be paying close attention to these negotiations. However, he made it a point that Montreal could be the best fit of the three:
"And would there be a better fit than the Montreal Canadiens? Hischier is basically the left-handed Nick Suzuki. Imagine those two guys 1-2 down the middle. It’s the exact hole in the Canadiens’ lineup that needs addressing. There’s no doubt that Montreal would be among the interested parties if and when Hischier became available."
Nico Hischier would solidify the Montreal Canadiens' Top 6
Hischier was the first overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut immediately as he played all 82 games in the 2017-18 season. In total, he has over 600 games with the Devils and 488 points, including 60 or more in each of the past five seasons.
At only 27 years old, Hischier would be a great fit for the Canadiens and address a major need that they have had most of the season. The Canadiens have their top center in Nick Suzuki and solid centers for their bottom six in Phillip Danault and Jake Evans, but they really are missing that other center that can anchor that second line.
For most of the regular season, Oliver Kapanen served in that role, but he has struggled in the playoffs and has been a healthy scratch already a few times. It would be surprising if the Canadiens go back to Kapanen next season, even though it was just his first full-season at the NHL level.
One area where Hischier is a clear upgrade is in the faceoff circle as he has a career faceoff win percentage of 52.4%, but has been above 55% in each of the past three seasons. For comparison, Kapanen was at 45% this season.
A trade for Nico Hischier would certainly be costly and might be on the level in terms of value with what Montreal had to give up for Noah Dobson. However, in addition to fixing the blueline, this has to be their top priority and a player like HIschier would be a great long-term solve to that problem.
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