Hockey

Noah Dobson: the Canadiens wanted nothing to do with trading Michael Hage back
Félix Forget
Noah Dobson: the Canadiens wanted nothing to do with trading Michael Hage back
Credit: Getty Images

Michael Hage is, according to many, the Habs' best forward prospect among those who have never played a game in the NHL. The center has some extremely interesting tools… and in the context of the Habs' need for a second center, it's easy to tie Hage to that position.The problem is, it's not tomorrow morning that he'll be able to occupy that chair… and the Habs' need for him is quite imminent.But even so, the fact that he's so promising makes it hard to see a world in which the Canadiens would trade him, even for a very big name. After all, the club snapped up Noah Dobson this summer, one of the NHL's best right-handed defensemen (a position in demand), without giving up Hage. And according to Marco D'Amico, who spoke on The Shaun Starr Show, giving away the young center was never an option: “

They really trust Michael Hage. The proof: Hage was a non-starter in discussions for Noah Dobson.

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Marco D'Amico

https://youtu.be/2FLdxfWwTdA?si=mcSg7XYulNknjCLF&t=707

D'Amico, who also puts Reinbacher in the same category as Hage in this respect, insists that the Canadiens are thinking big for Hage. He knows he has an excellent prospect on his hands who could be part of the long-term solution, which is why the club doesn't want to risk trading him… but it also plays into the current search for a second center. Because, according to D'Amico, the Habs are so confident in Hage that if they do get a second center, it'll be a player who's there for the short term.So, more a player in the Ryan O'Reilly mold than a guy like Mason McTavish, for example.Obviously, this comes with an element of risk. Just because Hage is promising doesn't mean he'll become the club's second center… and that puts a lot of pressure on him, too.It's not unlike the case of Alex Newhook, who was also seen as the future second center in Colorado.But what's clear is that the Habs seem to really like their chances of Hage becoming their secondcenterof the future. And right now, it doesn't seem crazy to think that the club's plan relies heavily on seeing Hage develop to that level.No pressure, kid.

'Overtime'

– I like it.

– Ivan Demidov has a new friend.

– I doubt it.

– Well done.

– That'll be something, that'

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