Here is what the Montreal Canadiens' lineup looks like right now
In the past, the center line had some depth, but the Habs couldn't count on a true first pivot, instead they relied on two number twos and two number threes. Today, on July 30, 2021, we finally have our true number one center in Nick Suzuki, but there is no one as a true number two. With the departure of Phillip Danault, Jesperi Kotkaniemi got that role by default, but the staff doesn't seem comfortable...
On the other hand, on the wings, it's overflowing, which gives ammunition to Dominique Ducharme for the composition of his combinations, but also for Marc Bergevin, who could use this depth to acquire a center in order to fill the loss of Phil Danault. Because, at the time of writing this post, Joel Armia is still on the fourth unit, while he is capable of playing on a third, or even a second unit (sometimes).
That said, here are the current combinations, in my opinion:
Drouin - Suzuki - Caufield (yes, Drouin)
Hoffman - KK - Anderson
Toffoli - Evans - Gallagher
Lehkonen - Paquette - Armia
Extras: Byron - Perreault
So there are 14 NHL forwards on the Montreal Canadiens, which really gives Marc Bergevin ammunition to find a solution at the center position. Lines one, three and four are perfect. And it's nothing against "KK" who I love, but he's slow to establish himself as a leader. Berg could take "KK", Drouin, a prospect and a first round pick (or two) to add a player like Jack Eichel, right? We're jabbering here...
