What if the Habs' third center isn't who you thought it was
PUBLICATION
Jeff DrouinSeptember 11, 2021 (10:08)
With the departure of Jesperi Kotkaniemi, many fans were worried about who would fill the second center spot in the Canadiens' lineup. Marc Bergevin quickly remedied the situation by bringing in Christian Dvorak from the Arizona Coyotes. The newcomer will be the one to fill that role on offense. But what about the center position on the third line?
Will it be Jake Evans who will have to pilot the third unit on offense? Or will it be a reinvented Ryan Poehling who will be able to surprise Dominique Ducharme and his teammates? However, another very interesting option could be the solution to this problem: Jonathan Drouin.
Of course, Drouin has been playing wing for the past three seasons, but he is capable of playing center. He played that position in the junior ranks and when he arrived in Montreal. Using Drouin as the driver of the third line could make for some very nice combinations on offense.
This way, Ducharme could have three scoring lines that would be very difficult to play against. The trio of Hoffman, Drouin and Armia could give his opponents a hard time. It remains to be seen if this will be the scenario chosen by the Habs coaching staff.
The option of pairing Drouin with Caufield and Suzuki on the first unit should also not be ruled out. This is a line that could be very dangerous offensively. In addition, it could allow Jonathan Drouin's offensive potential to be exploited to the maximum.
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