Geoff Molson says Hughes and Gorton will add a top-six center if the chance arises

Geoff Molson says the Canadiens will chase a top-six center if the door opens. With Nick Suzuki sidelined, the timing is hard to ignore.

Molson didn't dance around it Sunday. “If there's an opportunity to get a top-six center, Jeff and Kent will take advantage of it if possible,” he told TVA Sports.

For an organization that usually talks in careful circles, that's about as loud as it gets in October. Kent Hughes now has public cover to go shopping.

And the need is real. Suzuki is dealing with an upper-body injury that's expected to keep him out until at least Nov. 18.

He leads the Canadiens with 12 points in nine games. His plus-6 rating says he wasn't just padding the sheet on the power play, either.

Losing your top producer for weeks is like a kitchen losing its head chef during the Saturday dinner rush. The orders keep coming, and everyone else is suddenly cooking above their pay grade.

Nick Suzuki's absence exposes a thin Montreal middle

Look at who's left to absorb those minutes. Phillip Danault has three assists and no goals through 11 games.

Kirby Dach is still chasing his first goal of the season. Alex Newhook owns a -5 rating, the worst mark among Montreal skaters.

Martin St-Louis can't ride that group against heavy matchups for a month. Something has to give.

Somehow, the results haven't cratered yet. The Canadiens beat the Jets 2-1 in Winnipeg on Sunday night for their second straight win.

Jacob Fowler did the heavy lifting with 33 saves on 34 shots. Kaiden Guhle scored the winner, and Lane Hutson chipped in one of his own.

Cole Caufield set up both goals, and his six goals lead the team. But a sniper needs someone feeding him pucks.

Leaning on a 21-year-old goalie to steal games isn't a plan. Fowler's .924 save percentage looks great until you notice Jakub Dobes sitting at .847.

The bigger picture is ordinary. Montreal sits fifth in the Atlantic at 6-3-2, one point behind Tampa Bay.

Goals for and goals against are dead even. Treading water works for a week, and the Atlantic doesn't wait for anybody to find their footing.

The injury list keeps growing, too. Ivan Demidov and Samuel Montembeault are both on injured reserve, expected out until at least Oct. 31.

Waiting on Suzuki's return before making a move would be the wrong call. Even healthy, this lineup was a center short of scaring anyone.

So what does Hughes actually give up? The blue line already eats a big chunk of the cap, with Noah Dobson at $9,500,000 and Hutson at $8,850,000.

The road trip rolls into St. Louis on Tuesday, then Dallas on Thursday. Molson put the target on the board, and Hughes is now on the clock to hit it.

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