Columbus Blue Jackets Emerge as Possible Trade Partners in Canadiens' Search for Center

The Boston Bruins and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Travis Yost has been a seasoned hockey analyst at TSN for over 10 years and is a specialist in advanced stats.

He breaks down NHL player performances better than anyone, offering a unique perspective on the game.

Recently invited to Tony Marinaro's podcast, he was asked about realistic targets the Canadiens could pursue in the coming weeks or months.

Here's what he had to say.

Although the Canadiens managed to free up some salary cap space with the Carey Price trade we can guess that Kent Hughes won't want to touch his promising young players like Michael Hage or David Reinbacher, nor his first-round picks.

With that in mind, Travis Yost believes the Montreal Canadiens will try to find a player in the final year of his contract who can "get the job done" this season.

In Boston,Yost highlights the names Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt.

Zacha, versatile and reliable, brings offensive consistency (20 goals, 59 points in 2022-2023) while also being defensively responsible, with an affordable contract until 2027 ($4.75M).

Mittelstadt, acquired last year, has defensive shortcomings but has had productive stretches in the big league (18 goals, 67 points in 2024-2025).

In Columbus, it's Charlie Coyle who catches Travis Yost's attention. A complete veteran, combining toughness, leadership, and efficiency (25 goals in 2023-2024) for $5.25M until 2026. Although he just joined the Jackets, there seems to be congestion at center in Columbus.

These options, without requiring major assets in return, would allow Montreal to add depth at center while respecting salary cap constraints, thus strengthening their chances of performing as early as 2026.