Canadiens Shouldn't Trade Michael Hage

Michael Hage has been a polarizing prospect since, and before being selected 21st overall in the 2024 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. The forward is polarizing due to his personal life, passion for hockey and a mutual love for the Canadiens, all backed by an exciting package that fuels an elite prospect.

Videos are kicking around on YouTube of Hage sitting anxiously in the crowd, wondering whether the Canadiens would select him. He can be heard discussing how amazing it would be to get selected by his childhood team.

With all this emotional attachment to the prospect, the suggestions of him being part of a trade to acquire organizational needs, while it makes sense, it feels like a decision that Hughes would regret in relatively short order.

Hage has all the talent in the world, and he is intelligent enough to manipulate defenders and stun goalies in the NCAA, which he displayed in his freshman year, but with the work that he is putting in this offseason, Hage is on a fast track to decimate the college ranks in year two.

And, though it would be unwise to base what you're doing short-term on a player that isn't going to be ready until April 2026 earliest, he is a guy that should be retained, because, though it may not be right away, Hage is the likeliest option to develop into the Canadiens' second-line center.

The details in Hage's game are integral to everything working seamlessly because they allow him to pick apart rushing defenders with tidy stick checks before prying the puck loose, and using his elite transition tools to stun the opposition with quick rushes to the offensive zone.

Faceoffs are also going to be a big deal, and those details should be sharpened quite intently by the Michigan University Wolverines coaching staff.

Simply put, if a center prospect were pieced together for a club lacking a top-six center, his traits might resemble Hage's pretty closely. At six-foot-one, 200 pounds, Hage is strong enough in the corners and along the boards to pivot away from defenders, leaving them trying to reach to pry the puck away, while he explodes the other way, with his head up scanning for the next play.

The next play is always on his mind, and with a guy like Ivan Demidov on one wing and Zachary Bolduc on the other, the Canadiens' top-six of the future looks to be in good hands. If Bolduc doesn't fit on the wing, perhaps Alexander Zharovsky, the Canadiens' 2025 34th overall selection, can assume a top-six winger role down the road.

Like Nick Suzuki on the first line, the Canadiens need a guy who can impact the game on all 200 feet of the ice, and accelerate plays up the ice in transition quickly, with smart passes to his wingers or dropping the shoulder and carrying the puck into the attacking zone on his own.

Hage, while still developing, looks an awful lot like a guy that can handle a second-line center role in due time, perhaps not trading him would be in Hughes's best interest.