The search for a legitimate second-line center for the Montreal Canadiens is heating up, and the latest rumor swirling has some real teeth. While names like Mason McTavish have been rumored, the focus has now shifted to Florida’s Anton Lundell, and frankly, this is the kind of move that signals a franchise is ready to turn a corner. This isn’t just tire-kicking; it’s a potential sign that GM Kent Hughes feels the competitive window is starting to crack open, and he’s ready to push it wide open.
Lundell, just 23, is locked in for five more years with a manageable $5 million cap hit. He’s not a rental; he’s a core piece. He put up an impressive 45 points playing a third-line, defensively responsible role for a powerhouse Panthers team. Imagine what he could do with more offensive deployment alongside the likes of Patrik Laine or Ivan Demidov. This rumor is about accelerating the timeline, but the cost could be a painful one for fans to swallow.
Why Anton Lundell is the Perfect Montreal Canadiens Target
From my perspective, Lundell is exactly the type of player a team like the Montreal Canadiens should be targeting. He fits the age bracket of the emerging core—Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovský, Hutson—perfectly. His draft pedigree (12th overall) is solid, and he’s already a proven, reliable 200-foot center in the league. The biggest selling point is his production in a limited role. Scoring 17 goals and 45 points on the third line of a deep Florida team suggests there’s untapped offensive potential waiting to be unlocked.
He wouldn’t just be filling a hole; he’d be raising the competitive floor and ceiling of the entire forward group. His contract provides cost certainty for his prime years, a massive advantage for a management team trying to build a sustainable contender. This isn’t a gamble on potential; it’s an investment in proven results with room to grow.
The Cost of Contending: Is Michael Hage Too Steep a Price?
Here’s the rub. The proposed trade sends top prospect Michael Hage to Florida. This is where the “win now” versus “build for the future” debate explodes. Hage projects to be a fantastic second-line center himself, but he’s still a few years away from making that impact. The Montreal Canadiens are signaling they don’t want to wait a few more years. They want to make a playoff push this season. Trading Hage would be a bold declaration that the painful part of the rebuild is over.
For Florida, they get to restock their prospect pipeline with an A-list talent, and they may even need to retain a small portion of Lundell’s salary to get a deal of this magnitude done. It’s a classic hockey trade: a proven, young roster player for a high-ceiling prospect. It’s a move that will define the next phase of this team’s journey.
Your Home for Montreal Canadiens News
To stay on top of the latest Montreal Canadiens news and all NHL trade rumors, make sure to add nhltraderumor.com to your bookmarks. Join our Fantasy Hockey Pool for a chance to win cash prizes and find out how to watch every Habs game on TV today right on our website. Sign up for our newsletter below to get all the breaking news delivered directly to your inbox!
The post Did the Montreal Canadiens Just Find Their Missing Piece? A Bold Anton Lundell Trade Rumor Emerges appeared first on NHL Trade Rumors.
