The Montreal Canadiens have had a relatively quiet offseason, which is uncharacteristic for general manager Kent Hughes.
So much so that the staff at RDS who is in charge of covering the Montreal Canadiens predicted that the Habs won't make any noise. They predicted that the top line would remain intact, which is pretty obvious. But the second line has two players that were kind of expected to slot into the top six, but the third not so much.
If Montreal has any hopes of being more competitive this season than last, they can't have Joel Armia riding on the second-line right wing. The center depth is solid with Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak and Jake Evans, but the winger situation on the right side is less than desirable. Armia is an ideal bottom-six forward and Gallagher you could say the same.
There is a hope that Josh Anderson finds his game and can contribute more than a fourth-line pace, but his slotting is spot on, in my eyes. I think that the Canadiens should take a big swing for an impactful forward that will slot into their top nine at minimum. The Rutger McGroarty rumours have piqued my interest just like everybody else's.
What would be ideal to happen to the lineup
If the lineup does remain the same, there is one swap that I would make right away. Armia doesn't belong in a top-six role and even at his best, I feel he will drag down the second line. However, moving Joshua Roy up to the right wing on the second line and dropping Armia down to the third line would be ideal. Roy showed chemistry with Newhook in the back half of last year and with a center like Dach, I don't see why the line wouldn't be effective.
I believe that a trade should be made, but I don't see Anderson or Brendan Gallagher being healthy scratched. It would be tough to make a spot for a new addition, but the Habs would benefit from adding another top-six talent. The worst that could happen is when Ivan Demidov arrives at camp next year, he has a tough path to the Canadiens' top six and Hughes has to get creative.