Habs Mailbag: GM Kent Hughes has some options when it comes to trades

Any chance we lump our No. 5 overall pick at the draft and one of the young defencemen for a stud forward?

CJB on X (@VT2SouthShoreMA)

That wouldn't shock me — but it would have to be a stud forward in his prime. Both executive vice-president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton and general manager Kent Hughes know they have to acquire more forwards who can produce offence for this rebuild to work and they have the draft picks and an abundance of young defencemen that would allow them to put together a pretty good package for a trade.

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Having said that, I expect the Canadiens will use the No. 5 pick to draft a forward with offensive potential. I would be surprised if they don't trade their second pick late in the first round for a young forward with the potential to play in the top six.

Owen Beck. How is his development coming along?

RWL on X @Dis70Hab

Beck's development is coming along very well.

The 20-year-old centre posted 34-47-81 totals in 57 OHL games this season split between the Peterborough Petes and the Saginaw Spirit. He then added 4-10-14 totals in 17 playoff games with the Spirit.

The second-round pick (33rd overall) at the 2022 NHL Draft will be coming to training camp next season looking to earn a job with the Canadiens and he will certainly be given a good look. But I'd expect him to continue his development next season with the AHL's Laval Rocket, where he would see plenty of ice time.

Will there be room on the Habs roster next season for Emil Heineman if he has a strong training camp? Or is he stuck in the AHL next season?

Al Belso on X (@a_belso)

If Heineman has a really strong training camp, I believe the Canadiens could look to make room for him on the roster. He started training camp last year on a line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, which speaks to how management rates his potential. It's because of that potential and his size (6-foot, 202 pounds) that Hughes wanted Heineman as part of the trade that sent Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames.

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Heineman had a solid training camp last year before being sent to Laval, where he suffered a concussion in his second game with the Rocket and was sidelined for 20 games. Heineman finished the season with 15-14-29 totals in 48 games with the Rocket and failed to register a point in four games with the Canadiens.

The Canadiens will certainly give the 22-year-old winger another real good look at training camp next season.

What do you see happening with Oliver Kapanen. His development seems to be on a high trajectory. Do you see him sticking with the Habs for a good look or does he go back to Europe right after camp. I know his play will dictate most of it.

Sheri Taylor on X @sheri_tayl34818

Kapanen's play will definitely dictate what happens, but first he still has to sign an NHL entry-level contract after being selected in the second round (64th overall) of the 2021 draft.

The 6-foot-1, 183-pound centre is coming off a strong season with KalPa Kuopio in the Finnish Elite League. He posted 14-20-34 totals in 51 regular-season games and then had 7-7-14 totals in 13 playoff games. He currently has six goals in four games for Finland at the IIHF World Championship.

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Luc Gélinas of RDS, who is covering the world championship in Czechia, reported that Hughes and the agent for Kapanen have agreed to talk contract at the end of the tournament.

The intensity and physicality of these NHL playoffs has been impressive. I often hear that Montreal is two top-six forwards away from being a contender. Do you think Montreal should prioritize skill or toughness? Of course, the rare combination of both would be ideal.

CanadiensFella on X @PeterLviv

As former Canadien Chris Nilan said several times this season on The Gazette's Hockey Inside/Out Show, the team needs "more men."

The intensity and physicality in the playoffs is always above and beyond what we see during the regular season. As former Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin liked to say, there are some players who get you to the playoffs and some who get you through the playoffs.

The Canadiens, in my opinion, are two top-six forwards away from being contenders to make the playoffs, not win the Stanley Cup. As Nilan put it, they will need "more men" who can provide toughness, along with some skill. The days of having a player in the lineup during the NHL playoffs just because he is tough are over, as the Toronto Maple Leafs learned when they made Ryan Reaves a healthy scratch for the last two games of their first-round playoff loss to the Boston Bruins.

The Leafs have a lot of players who get them to the playoffs every year, but not enough who can get them through the post-season.

Your top players also have to have some toughness, along with their skill. They need to be men.

scowan@postmedia.com

x.com/StuCowan1

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