Canadiens fans have waited years for this: Montreal's second-center problem is finally solved

Michael Hage is grinding at Michigan this fall, and the Canadiens have one clear target for him: be ready to center their second line by April.

That plan surfaced Wednesday afternoon from Marco D'Amico, who laid it out without any hedging. Prepare Hage to be Montreal's 2C by spring.

The same report floated a second idea, and it carries more weight than any development update. The Habs may hold off on a 2C trade.

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Think about what that means. Kent Hughes would be passing on a market fix and trusting a college player to show up in April at full speed.

Bold? Absolutely. A second-line center is expected to take tough matchups, handle power play touches and survive against real top-six competition every night.

The Canadiens aren't standing still in the meantime. Martin St-Louis has his group at three straight wins this September, capped by a 3-2 win over the Senators on Monday night.

That run also includes a 4-3 overtime win over the Maple Leafs on September 19. Next up is Saturday in Ottawa, one last tune-up before the games start counting.

Kent Hughes weighs patience over a costly trade for a center

Patience has a financial logic. Montreal already carries Noah Dobson at $9,500,000 on the blue line, and a proven 2C would bring a big number of his own.

A homegrown center arriving in the spring costs a fraction of what the trade market charges. For a front office that's built this roster carefully, that math is tempting.

Here's the problem. Planning a top-six spot around a player spending the winter in college is like booking the wedding hall before anyone has proposed.

The calendar doesn't help either. Montreal closes the regular season with four straight road games in April, finishing in Ottawa on April 10.

So a first-year pro would be dropping into a road trip through Long Island, Florida, Tampa and Ottawa, with every point magnified late in the year.

Can a rookie handle that? Some can. Most need weeks just to adjust to how fast NHL defenders close gaps and kill time and space on the forecheck.

There's also the locker room to consider. Veterans tend to read front-office patience one of two ways: faith in the young core, or a sign that no help is coming.

The regular season opens Tuesday in Toronto. Hage will be tracked from Ann Arbor all winter, but the question of who centers Montreal's second line gets asked on night one.

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