The Habs want to add a tough player who can score goals (according to NHL rumors)

Marc-Olivier Cook
The Habs want to add a tough player who can score goals (according to NHL rumors)
Credit: Montreal Canadiens

Kent Hughes must be a little excited right now.

He sees his club winning on the ice, and he's got everything he needs up his sleeve to improve the lineup. The Canadiens' GM is counting on quality prospects and good draft picks to get him moving, and that's got to be nice to know.

But according to an NHL source who spoke to Marco D'Amico(RG Media), there's one type of player in particular that Hughes would like to add.

When you look at the Habs' paper roster, you realize one thing: the Canadiens don't have a big, physical player who can score goals. Josh Anderson isn't the biggest scorer on the planet, and Zachary Bolduc doesn't yet seem ready to fill that role in Montreal.

That's why the Canadiens want to add a tough guy who can put it in, according to what's circulating in the NHL right now:

The Canadiens are still looking to add that rare combination of toughness and goal-scoring ability to their second or third line. – NHL source

The source in question mentioned the names of Kiefer Sherwood and Blake Coleman, who have interesting qualities for the Canadiens. But he also mentions a guy like Alex Tuch, who could become intriguing for the Habs if ever made available in Buffalo.

I really feel that the most realistic option is Blake Coleman in Calgary.

Colleague Charles-Alexis Brisebois wrote about him this morning as the Habs are discussing the possibility of picking him up and when you look at the big picture, we're talking about a guy who would really be perfect in Montreal.

Alex Tuch is going to cost too much and Kiefer Sherwood has just burst onto the NHL scene at the age of 30. Coleman has a great reputation, he's been helping NHL clubs for a long time and he's got everything it takes to become a major player in Montreal…

But knowing that the Habs are looking to add a player of this caliber isn't all that surprising either.

After all, we saw the club get shuffled a lot against the Caps in the last playoffs. The Canadiens don't want to go through that again, and injecting some toughness into the line-up can help prevent it.

All this to say, then, that we know a little more about Kent Hughes' plan. But let's remember one thing: last summer, the Habs GM wanted to add a second-line center to his lineup, and he didn't get around to it.

The point I'm trying to make here is that the Canadiens may want to get their hands on a tough, goal-scoring player… but it's not going to happen with a snap of the fingers – even if, once again, the club has all the assets to make a move.


Overtime

– Laurent Brossoit goes to San Jose.

– Pooler alert.

– Ouch.

– He's right.

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