With Kirby Dach suffering a second knee injury, it’s time to start opening our eyes. He likely won’t be the Canadiens’ second-line center in the long run.

And with the Habs so close to the playoffs, it’s clear the team will need a real second-line center as early as next year.

We could talk about Michael Hage or Oliver Kapanen, but let’s be honest, they won’t be ready for such a big role right away.

That leaves Kent Hughes with a dilemma:

Go after a player who, like Kirby Dach at the time, has potential but a difficult trajectory, or; Take a big swing for an established center.

In his Rondelle libre column, Mathias Brunet proposed a bold idea: the Habs could attempt an offer sheet for Mason McTavish from the Anaheim Ducks.

Mason McTavish as the Montreal Canadiens’ Second-Line Center: Mathias Brunet’s Proposal

That would be interesting! It could be an offer sheet signing or a straightforward trade.

The problem? The Ducks have $16 million in cap space, so they could easily match any offer from the Habs.

An offer of $5 or $6 million per year would only yield a first- and third-round pick as compensation, which isn’t a high price for them.

But Hughes could try to negotiate a trade instead.

With 12 picks in the upcoming draft, Montreal has assets to negotiate, but Anaheim is a team looking to speed up its rebuild.

That means draft picks alone might not be enough.

That’s where a prospect like Oliver Kapanen or Logan Mailloux could come into play.

Would Kent Hughes be willing to sacrifice young talent to acquire McTavish? I think he would.

In my opinion, McTavish would be a perfect fit in Montreal, but it all depends on the price to pay.