The Canadiens' search for a second-line center may end with a blockbuster trade
Bruce Garrioch dropped the kind of line that lights up Montreal radio for a week. The Canadiens want a center. So do the Flyers. And Mason McTavish is in the middle of it.
The Ottawa Citizen report landed Monday afternoon. Philadelphia is reportedly circling. Kent Hughes is reportedly circling. And the 23-year-old in Anaheim suddenly becomes the most talked-about young center.
Here's why Montreal keeps coming back to this name. Behind Nick Suzuki, the depth at center thins out fast. Kirby Dach played 37 games. Alex Newhook played 42. Jake Evans is a third-line piece.
McTavish posted 17 goals and 41 points in 75 games with the Ducks, on a team that finished a -14 in goal differential and went 2-6-2 over its last 10. The talent is there.
A second-line center who can play heavy minutes, hit, and chip in on the power play? Montreal has been hunting for that piece since the rebuild started. McTavish carries six power-play goals this season. He'd slot in immediately.
But this is where it gets uncomfortable for Hughes. The Flyers and Canadiens are direct competitors for the same archetype, and Philadelphia has its own ammunition. Daniel Briere isn't bluffing when he says he wants size and a top-six center.
Why Pat Verbeek holds all the leverage in this standoff
Pat Verbeek doesn't have to do anything. McTavish is under contract, and that posture matters when Montreal calls.
The price will be steep. A young roster center, a top prospect, and a first-round pick is the floor of any serious conversation, and Montreal's prospect pool is the envy of the league for a reason.
Here's the part nobody in Montreal wants to admit. The Canadiens went 0-2 against Anaheim this season, with both losses by a single goal. McTavish was on the ice for some of that damage.
And then there's Tocchet. Rick Tocchet just took over in Philadelphia, and he's the kind of coach who'd love a 23-year-old center with an edge. That's the bidding war Montreal stepped into.
If Hughes wants this done, he's going to have to overpay. The fans yelling for a big swing should remember the last time Montreal got into a public bidding war for a young center.
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This one's just getting started.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 29, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Taylor Hall | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Logan Stankoven | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jackson Blake | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Cole Caufield | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alexander Nikishin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
| Kirby Dach | - | - | - | |
| Phillip Danault | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||