Canadiens rumors: The ‘most pressing’ need for Montreal this offseason, per insider

Despite winning two straight Game 7’s on the road during their run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens’ season ended on Friday evening at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.

The Canadiens, who earned a blowout 6-2 win in Game 1 of the series, struggled to consistently put pucks on net from that point on, and for the first time in team history, only registered 18 or fewer shots on goal in three straight playoff games. Needless to say, the Canadiens will want to add more offense to their lineup for next season.

According to a recently released rumor from ESPN NHL Insider Greg Wyshynski, the Canadiens would like to add another high-profile center to play alongside captain Nick Suzuki, and name-dropped New York Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck as a potential target.

“But they won’t contend for the Stanley Cup unless they upgrade their center depth,” Wyshynski wrote via ESPN. “That much is glaringly clear after this series. Jake Evans had two assists in five games. Phillip Danault was more productive (1 goal, 3 assists in 5 games) but did nothing in the last three games while his line cratered analytically. The Canadiens have the assets to make a big move for a veteran center who can support Nick Suzuki. Whether it’s a player such as Vincent Trocheck of the Rangers or a bigger name, that’s the most pressing need.”

Trocheck was involved in multiple trade rumors in the days and weeks leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline, but he ultimately remained with the Rangers, who missed the playoffs by a wide margin. He still has three years left on his contract with a $5.625 million cap hit.

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