{"id":593073,"date":"2026-06-07T02:22:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T02:22:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/593073\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T02:22:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T02:22:24","slug":"canadiens-rumors-montreal-could-prioritize-50-75m-center-over-dylan-larkin-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/593073\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadiens Rumors: Montreal could prioritize $50.75M center over Dylan Larkin"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Montreal Canadiens<\/a> may have a chance to address their long-standing need for a high-end second-line center this NHL<\/a> offseason. However, recent reports suggest their focus could shift away from Detroit Red Wings<\/a> captain Dylan Larkin and toward New Jersey Devils<\/a> captain Nico Hischier.<\/p>\n

Larkin\u2019s trade request from Detroit has fueled speculation across the NHL, with Montreal frequently mentioned as a potential destination. However, The Athletic\u2019s Pierre LeBrun believes Hischier would be the better fit if he ever becomes available.<\/p>\n

\u201cMontreal will keep an eye on how the Larkin situation plays out, but to me, Hischier is the best fit for the Canadiens,\u201d LeBrun wrote<\/a>. \u201cAnd there\u2019s no doubt the Habs are keeping super close tabs on that, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

MORE: Maple Leafs Rumors: Aggressive teams to outbid Canadiens in Matthew Knies sweepstakes<\/a><\/p>\n

LeBrun then talked about Hischier\u2019s fit in the Canadiens\u2019 lineup, saying, \u201cHischier is a left-handed Nick Suzuki. The fit is beyond perfect for Montreal if Hischier were ever actually available.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that the Canadiens \u201cwould be willing to pay a real price and not mess around in that trade scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why does Nico Hischier fit the Canadiens\u2019 long-term vision?<\/p>\n

\"NewNew Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier (13) looks on against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Both centers would strengthen a Canadiens team that emerged as an Eastern Conference contender in 2025-26. Montreal finished 48-24-10 with 106 points before reaching the Eastern Conference Final under head coach Martin St. Louis.<\/p>\n

Larkin produced 34 goals and 67 points in 74 games despite Detroit missing the playoffs again. His speed, scoring touch, leadership, and faceoff ability would immediately upgrade Montreal\u2019s middle six. With five seasons remaining on his $8.7 million cap hit, he also offers long-term certainty.<\/p>\n

Still, Hischier checks more boxes for the Canadiens\u2019 roster structure. The 27-year-old recorded 66 points in all 82 games while continuing to rank among the league\u2019s most effective two-way centers. His strong underlying numbers, including a 55 percent expected-goals share, reinforce his value beyond traditional scoring totals.<\/p>\n

So, Hischier\u2019s game complements captain Nick Suzuki almost perfectly. Montreal could deploy two defensively responsible centers capable of driving play in every situation, creating ideal conditions for young stars such as Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson to continue developing.<\/p>\n

MORE: Canadiens GM outlines Montreal\u2019s offseason plans after NHL playoff exit<\/a><\/p>\n

The challenge is availability. Hischier carries a $7.25 million cap hit through 2026-27 and would likely require an extension before any trade. Larkin remains the more realistic target today, but if both players become attainable, Hischier appears to be the option most aligned with Montreal\u2019s championship ambitions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Montreal Canadiens may have a chance to address their long-standing need for a high-end second-line center this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":593074,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5109],"tags":[93,201,595,5,21,576,151,5185,5184,4,546],"class_list":["post-593073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-jersey-devils","tag-detroit-red-wings","tag-devils","tag-dylan-larkin","tag-hockey","tag-montreal-canadiens","tag-new-jersey","tag-new-jersey-devils","tag-newjersey","tag-newjerseydevils","tag-nhl","tag-nhl-trade-rumors"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116706446378806822","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=593073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/593074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=593073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=593073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=593073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}