The Montreal Canadiens have some needs to focus on in order to upgrade the team before the postseason. One of those is a second line center and here are five players they will target before the trade deadline.

The Montreal Canadiens are one of the top teams in the National Hockey League standings after 25 games. They are leading their division and continue to battle the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks for top spot in the league. However, one thing the Canadiens are in need of is an upgrade at center.

The Habs currently have Alex Galchenyuk leading the way down the middle. He is scoring at near a point-per game pace. He is certainly not a concern. However, behind Galchenyuk things get very thin, very quickly.

Tomas Plekanec is the second line center, yet he has just one goal in 25 games. He remains a great defensive player, can kill penalties and would be fine in a third line role. However, his offensive game has evaporated to the point he can not play a second line role any longer.

David Desharnais is next behind Plekanec. In 24 games, he has three goals and six assists for nine points. Again, not the type of production you want from the second line center on a Stanley Cup contender. In fact, I just don’t know if Desharnais fits anywhere on a true contender.

No answers internally, Habs must find help elsewhere

Philip Danault has proven to be a valuable member of the Canadiens bottom six. After coming over in a trade late last season from the Chicago Blackhawks, Danault earned a role and is showing his versatility by moving from center to wing and bouncing between the third and fourth lines. He’s been good, but with nine points in 24 games, he’s not ready for a second line role.

This means the Canadiens are going to have to go outside the organization to find someone to fill that need. It’s still early in the season, so buyers and sellers aren’t set in stone just yet. Most trades happen in the two weeks leading up to the trade deadline which isn’t until February 28th.

However, that shouldn’t stop the Canadiens from starting discussions and trying to pry a second line center away from another team. Let’s take a look at the top five centers that general manager Marc Bergevin should be making inquiries about bringing to Montreal.