The Canadiens would have a potential future 2nd-line center in their organization that no one is talking about
Among the many quality prospects of the Montreal Canadiens, the names that stand out most frequently are those of Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, David Reinbacher, Filip Mesar, Sean Farrell, Owen Beck, Joshua Roy, etc.
However, in the large quantity of young players that the organization has drafted in recent years, there is one who is completely overlooked, according to former Montreal Canadiens scout, Grant McGagg.
While he recently appeared on Tony Marinaro's podcast, McGagg described the selection of Oliver Kapanen as a steal by the CH in the 2nd round of the 2021 draft.
According to McGagg, Kapanen was undoubtedly a first-round choice in that class, but an unfortunate injury caused him to slip all the way to the Canadiens' 64th pick.
Grant McCagg
But he doesn't stop there; he even adds that the 20-year-old Finn, who is celebrating his birthday today, has the potential to become a second-line center in the NHL.
Grant McCagg
In fact, McCagg recently unveiled his top 5 prospects for the club, and to our surprise, not only did he rank Logan Mailloux at the top, ahead of David Reinbacher and Lane Hutson, but he even placed Kapanen in the 4th position, ahead of forwards like Beck, Farrell, Roy, and Mesar.
This ranking speaks volumes about his evaluation of the potential of the young prospect playing with KalPa in Finland's Liiga.
In 55 games this season, with a primarily limited role on the third line, he tallied a respectable record of 12 goals and 27 points. It will be interesting to follow his development next year, as he may possibly play in the top 6 of his team.
| POLL | ||
Who do you think will have the best career in Montreal? | ||
| Sean Farrell | 14 | 10.5 % |
| Joshua Roy | 82 | 61.7 % |
| Filip Mesar | 15 | 11.3 % |
| Oliver Kapanen | 22 | 16.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
