The Montreal Canadiens' top goal of the off-season should be to upgrade their second-line center spot. When looking at trade candidates around the league, New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal stands out in a major way for the Canadiens to consider. If the Canadiens brought in Barzal, they would be adding an elite playmaker to their top six. This would be huge for a Canadiens club that will be looking to take another big step in the right direction next season. Barzal could work beautifully on a line with Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov if acquired by the Canadiens. He would also give the Habs another major difference-maker for their power play, which would be huge. Barzal would also be much more than a one-year rental for the Canadiens, which adds to his appeal. This is because Barzal has a $9.15 million cap hit until the end of the 2030-31 season. With all of this, Barzal is certainly a center who the Canadiens should consider making a real push for this off-season. Perhaps the Canadiens could make a blockbuster trade with the Islanders for the second summer in a row after how well the Noah Dobson deal paid off for Montreal. In 81 games this season with the Islanders, Barzal posted 19 goals, 53 assists, 72 points, and a plus-10 rating.
