Drouin indicates he's ready to fill the hole down the middle should the Canadiens lose Kotkaniemi

Although there's been no official announcement from the team yet, there's a very good chance the Montreal Canadiens will be looking to fill a hole at centre with the loss of Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Kotkaniemi was tendered an offer sheet, which he signed, by the Carolina Hurricanes and the Canadiens have until Saturday to decide whether to match it or lose him. For a team that's already looking pretty light down the middle, losing Kotkaniemi would certainly not be preferable for the Habs. However, it looks like another player is ready and willing to step in.

According to Pierre Houde of RDS, he spoke to Jonathan Drouin on Tuesday and the winger made it very clear he's ready to step into the centre role if asked.

"I asked him and he said he certainly was. And he was very serious," Houde told 91.9 Sports FM in Montreal.

While it's commendable of Drouin to be willing to step into whatever role he asked to fill, this is likely not the best solution for the Habs. Drouin has been tried in the centre position before in Montreal (the season before the team picked up Max Domi in a trade with Arizona) and it produced mixed, at best, results. As most hockey fans know, it's much easier for a natural centre to step into a winger role rather than the other way around.

Montreal's lack of centre depth is one of the things that makes the offer sheet to Kotkaniemi such as difficult thing for the team. Yes, the $6.1 million salary that goes with it is ridiculous for a player of Kotkaniemi's current calibre. However, the Habs currently have no replacement at the 2nd centre position. Going out and getting one from another team is much easier said than done. Could Drouin fill that hole? Possibly. But it seems like a huge gamble for Montreal to take.

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