A young forward is forcing Kent Hughes and the Canadiens to complete a trade before the start of the season
A young forward is forcing Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens to make moves at the start of this training camp, and we're talking about Oliver Kapanen.
The 21-year-old forward made a name for himself from the very first intra-squad game of the camp and has continued to impress ever since.
In fact, he hasn't gone unnoticed by Martin St-Louis:
And he's been one of the best players at this 2024 Montreal Canadiens training camp so far.
If he keeps this up, Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton will have some big decisions to make, because they absolutely can't send Kapanen back to Sweden at the moment.
Oliver Kapanen could force Kent Hughes to make room in the offense
Kapanen, a second-round pick in 2021, is having quite the camp.
His performances, including the game against the Philadelphia Flyers, could genuinely force management to trade a forward to make room for him.
Could Kent Hughes be calling the Los Angeles Kings about this very topic?
His head coach in Sweden, Olli Jokinen, recently stated that he expected his young prospect to surprise and start the season in Montreal.
At the moment, his prediction seems very realistic.
Moreover, in Oliver Kapanen's case, Kent Hughes can't simply have him start with the Laval Rocket and call him up later in the season.
There are only two options for him (either start in Montreal, or send him back to Sweden).
And I don't see how they can send him back to Sweden.
It's going to take some creativity on Kent Hughes' part, but don't be surprised if a forward, like Christian Dvorak, is traded in the next ten days to make room for Kapanen.
What would you do if you were the general manager?
| POLL | ||
Would you trade Christian Dvorak to make room for Kapanen? | ||
| Yes | 578 | 92.9 % |
| No | 44 | 7.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
