The Montreal Canadiens are a team heading into the 25-26 season with a lot of promise and optimism. There is much to look forward to in Habs land as the squad appears to be coming out of a long rebuild and back into contention with this promising young core they’ve been building the past few seasons.
Nevertheless, there are still some glaring holes in the lineup that need to be patched if the team is going to make a serious run in the near future. The most clear need at the moment is a reliable 2nd line center the club can depend on.
Cole Shelton of Heavy Sports has a trade proposal that would address this need by bringing in a talented young center from the Kings who has only scratched the surface of his NHL potential.
Montreal acquires: Quinton Byfield
Los Angeles acquires: Kirby Dach, David Reinbacher, 2026 1st round pick
What would Byfield provide Montreal?
Byfield is coming off a 50 point season in LA. He would be both an immediate and long term 2nd line center upgrade and would give the Habs a potent 1-2 punch down the middle with Nick Suzuki up top. Byfield could develop nice chemistry on the second line with Habs Calder hopeful Ivan Demidov with the two perhaps kindling a similar connection that Suzuki has built with Cole Caufield on the first line.
For Los Angeles, they part with a homegrown talent who they believe has a high ceiling. But, they get back a similar type of power forward with size in Kirby Dach. Dach is less proven at the NHL level compared to Byfield, but maybe a change of destination could do him wonders. The Kings also receive a first rounder and top defensive prospect in David Reinbacher to add some youth to an aging D core.
This would be quite a steep trade package for Montreal to give up in order to receive Byfield’s services. But the move would make them a better hockey team right now and time is of the essence. It’s something for the Canadiens to consider as they look to bolster their playoff contending hopes.
