Kent Hughes may already know who his second-line center is this season
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The Montreal Canadiens will likely head into training camp without an established second-line center.
Grant McCagg has a theory to explain that lack of action.
According to him, Kent Hughes may believe Oliver Kapanen can handle the role, which would explain why the Canadiens didn’t make a major move this summer.That same thinking could also apply to David Reinbacher, with the GM potentially viewing him as capable of taking on an important role on the blue line as early as this season.McCagg himself remains skeptical about Kapanen, pointing out that a good portion of his 20 goals last season came while playing alongside Ivan Demidov.
In the playoffs, his game didn’t carry over with the same success, as the Finnish forward was often pushed around physically.
Canadiens’ second-line center battle and David Reinbacher’s NHL future take center stage
The analyst would rather see Alex Newhook start the season in that spot after he played well in the playoffs and before suffering an injury last year.Oliver Kapanen, Newhook, Kirby Dach and Jake Evans should all get a chance to compete for the highly sought-after job during camp.Michael Hage is expected to begin the season at Michigan, which takes another potential second-line center option off the table for the Canadiens.
He is expected to join the organization later in the season, sometime in the spring of 2027.
As for Reinbacher, McCagg believes it’s now or never.
The defenseman needs to prove he belongs in the NHL, even if that means making a few mistakes along the way.
He hopes Martin St-Louis gives Reinbacher a chance to start the season with the NHL club rather than sending him back to Laval.
With training camp fast approaching, the Canadiens will finally get some answers to two questions that have been generating discussion for weeks.
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Kent Hughes may already know who his second-line center is this season
Does Oliver Kapanen deserve to be the Canadiens’ second-line center this season?