On Tuesday, during his mid-season press conference, Montreal Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes was asked in French whether the Habs can proceed with Oliver Kapanen as their second-line centre for the long term. Hughes said that he has no doubt Kapanen could eventually be a regular 2nd-line centre in the NHL. While Kapanen has proven to have good chemistry with both Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky, it’s honestly hard to believe that he could be the 2nd line centre that the Habs are hoping for, given the fact that up until this year, he never showed a sign that he could be anything more than a solid 3rd line centre. However, could his hockey brain be what can lead him to becoming a better centre than anyone thought?
Kent Hughes says he has no doubt Oliver Kapanen can be the Habs 2C.
Agree or disagree?#thesickpodcast pic.twitter.com/zdohcUFHvC
— The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) January 6, 2026
As mentioned previously in the article about him making Team Finland for the upcoming Olympics, Kapanen relies on making good reads of the play to be able to anticipate what will happen next, which is why he can often get in the right spots to receive a pass in the offensive zone from Demidov or Slafkovsky. This also works well for him in the defensive zone when attempting to cut off a pass, leading him to become a solid penalty killer during his rookie campaign. However, he can’t drive the play as a typical top 6 forward would otherwise be able to do.
Essentially, Kapanen has the hockey sense that can make him a complementary piece to a team’s top 6 in a similar mould to someone like Artturi Lehkonen in Colorado, but he could never be the guy that drives a line. Normally, the complementary pieces are on the wing, but on Kapanen’s line, it can be different because he has two incredibly skilled wingers that can take the role of play driver very effectively. Whereas, Kapanen’s job offensively is to find open space to get a great danger scoring chance. This is why, for the time being at least, Kapanen works as a second-line centre.
Kent Hughes seemed convinced that Oliver Kapanen could be the solution as the 2nd line center. Are you?
Pierre McGuire: “I think he’s probably better suited to be an elite 3”#GoHabsGo #thesickpodcast @TonyMarinaro pic.twitter.com/VYTUCaoDOZ
— The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) January 7, 2026
However, when it comes down to it, someone like Michael Hage will likely be a better fit in the future, as he drives play so well as a centre, which was seen in this year’s World Juniors tournament. The reality is that Kapanen will likely be a great 3rd-line centre when this Habs team is ready to compete for a Stanley Cup in 2-3 years down the line. This is, of course, if he hasn’t been traded in a package for a bigger piece that can help put the Habs among the league’s top contenders.
Nonetheless, Kapanen isn’t the ideal 2nd-line centre, but considering he has such great chemistry with Demidov and Slafkovsky, he may be better than any stopgap that the Canadiens can get while they wait for Hage to develop into the top 6 centre that he is showing he can be.
#Habs Kent Hughes on Oliver Kapanen
“You have to look at Oliver without the puck to appreciate him. Often we see that he gets the puck at spots for scoring chances. It’s what he does to get there, read the play without the puck”
“His trajectory isn’t a roller coaster. it’s… pic.twitter.com/ltUzsQYR5r
— Chris G (@ChrisHabs360) January 7, 2026
Not to mention, Kapanen only being 22 years old also still gives him time to grow into a better player. That, along with just how responsible of a player Kapanen has become this season, makes sense of why Hughes believes he could be a 2nd line centre for the Habs going forward. Although, when it comes time to compete for the Stanley Cup, the Canadiens should hopefully have a better option next to Demidov and either Slafkovsky or another winger.
What do you make of Hughes’ comments on Kapanen potentially being a 2nd-line centre?
