Two Trade Options Available to Canadiens GM Kent Hughes for Second-Line Center

Two options are available to him.

It has been a busy week for GM Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens organization.

After managing to part ways with Carey Price's contract in a trade with the Sharks, which frees up enough cap space to allow him to test the trade market, all eyes are now on the Canadiens' front office.

Although many fans are calling for the immediate addition of a second-line center, it may well be that they will have to wait a little longer.

Kent Hughes' first option could satisfy the most impatient fans: turning right away to the trade market, targeting the rare teams with a surplus of centers - namely the Bruins and the Blue Jackets. The names of Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle, among others, keep coming up in rumors.

The second option may seem less exciting, but knowing the Canadiens' GM, it is by far the most logical.

By starting the season with Dach or Newhook in the second-line center role, Kent Hughes would not only give himself much more salary-cap flexibility to acquire a true gem later in the season, he would also give time for weaker teams - who, for now, believe in their playoff chances - to shift into seller mode.

Here's a concrete example with Jared McCann, whose name also regularly comes up in rumors.

For the moment, acquiring the productive McCann would almost certainly cost a first-round pick But if the Kraken find themselves with a losing record after 20 games, Seattle's GM will start thinking about the Gavin McKenna lottery and be tempted to prioritize the development of his young players. In such a scenario, McCann (or any other player from a team in a similar situation - think Nazem Kadri in Calgary) would cost much less.

And if Kent Hughes has taught us one thing since joining the Canadiens, it's that he always puts himself in a position to win his trades.

A story to watch..