The Montreal Canadiens don’t need to make a trade before the season begins, but there’s no doubt their roster would be significantly improved if they manage to find a player to fill the gap at centre.

With names such as Sidney Crosby, Pavel Zacha, and Kirill Kaprizov surfacing in trade rumours, general manager Kent Hughes has an opportunity to increase the odds that his team will maintain an upward trend just after qualifying for the playoffs in 2024-25.

For the record, Crosby won’t be moved any time soon, Kaprizov is a winger, and the Boston Bruins aren’t in a hurry to trade Zacha, but it does present us with an interesting question.

What type of assets could the Canadiens realistically involve in a trade to acquire an impact player?

Montreal Canadiens Trade Assets

The Canadiens have a history of trading quality draft picks, as evidenced by the recent trade that saw them send two first-round picks to the New York Islanders in exchange for defenceman Noah Dobson.

With that in mind, the team’s 2026 first-round selection would certainly be in play, but it’s difficult to envision a situation in which a single first-round pick would be enough to convince a team to move on from a high-end player, especially since it probably won’t be among the top 10 picks at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

Much like a (reverse) Richter scale, draft-pick value is logarithmic. In other words, the value quickly drops once the first batch of talented prospects are off the board.

To ensure they can put their hands on a player who is capable of improving the lineup overnight, the Habs would most likely have to include one of their quality prospects, especially since most of their talented young players who have established themselves in the NHL are part of the team’s core.

We’re not talking about Ivan Demidov, but realistically speaking, most other prospects would have to be considered, and that could include high-end players such as Michael Hage or Jacob Fowler. The goal isn’t to suggest Hage or Fowler are in play because the Canadiens can afford to lose them, but rather, that they hold the type of potential that would add significant value to a trade.

ON TOPIC: Montreal Canadiens Prospect Rankings – The Complete List

Of course, Hughes has a long history of convincing his trade partners to accept a lower price than what is often mentioned in the media, as he did when he sent the Carey Price contract to the San Jose Sharks. Some members of the media proposed it would cost a second-round pick, but in the end, the Habs only paid a fifth-round pick, which has little to no long-term value to a team overflowing with prospects.

However, this is an entirely different situation, one that would likely necessitate the same type of value included in the return that convinced the Islanders to move Dobson.

Given the lack of available talent on the trade market, there’s no reason for Pittsburgh, Boston, or New York to accept pennies on the dollar for their quality players, which connotes that Hughes would have very little leverage in trade negotiations.

The main factor working in Hughes’ favour is the return of Kirby Dach, not to mention the addition of Zachary Bolduc, players who could potentially solve the No.2 centre issue internally, or, at the very least, provide the team with a longer runway should they deem an upgrade is not only pressing, but necessary.