The recent buzz around the Montreal Canadiens has been related to the ongoing need at center, specifically a second line center. Kirby Dach seems to be slowly rounding into form has he gets his timing an confidence back but there are many who doubt his ability to play second line center. Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen are also progressing toward NHL readiness but aren’t there yet while Michael Hage is probably a couple of years away at a minimum. The common factor in all four of these potential centers is that they are right shots as is Jake Evans, who may or may not be returning.
The lone LH options are Alex Newhook and Christian Dvorak. Newhook can be dynamic from time to time, using his speed to his advantage, but he hasn’t been a play driver, an attribute you want to see in a second line center. Dvorak seems unlikely to be re-signed and could be moved before the trade deadline. So the hole remains.
While fans salivate over the potential acquisition of James Hagens or Michael Misa at the draft if they are even available when it’s Montreal’s turn to pick. Both of these two will need some development time before they are NHL ready.
In other words, the hole at second line center is likely to remain unless general manager Kent Hughes can make an acquisition through trade or free agency.
A trade for established center would likely have to wait until the off-season as would a free agency signing. The trade deadline, on the other hand, could represent an opportunity to acquire a bonafide prospect. The ideal candidate would have second line center potential and would be a left shot. He would have had minor pro experience and at least a taste of action in the NHL.
Teams that might be willing to sacrifice a potential second line center at the deadline are those that believe they are close to being a Stanley Cup contender and who already have two strong centers in their lineup.
One of those teams is the Vancouver Canucks who have Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller signed through the 2027-28 season. The team still has some holes to fill and Montreal may have some of those pieces on their roster. Canucks general manager Patrick Allvin has not hesitated to be bold when it comes to adding proven players to his roster.
The center prospect in their organization is 22-year-old Aatu Raty.
At one point Raty was expected to be an early first round pick in his draft year but concerns about his skating and his overall game saw him drop to 52nd overall in the second round of the 2021 NHL draft. Last season he put up 18 goals and 34 assists in 72 regular season games in the AHL. This season he has split his time between the Canucks and AHL Abbotsford.
The 2021 Elite Prospects Draft Guide had this to say about him, “He generates so much power on every release by sacrificing a quick drawback, instead taking his sweet time loading downforce into his lever-action wrister. It’s a hard, accurate shot when he has the time and space to send it on net. He’ll drive the centre lane with the puck on nearly every entry, and he isn’t shy about setting up shop at the net-front even if it means paying a physical toll on every shift. -EliteProspects 2021 NHL Draft Guide“
Does Raty have the potential to become an NHL player, never mind a second line center? At 6-1 190 he certainly has the size but other shortcomings in his game may hold him back. The cost to acquire him would have to be right but he is a player to watch.
