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Tkachuk, whose father Keith had 538 goals and 1,065 points during an 18-year NHL career, helped the U.S. win a bronze medal at the world juniors and U.S. national team coach Bob Motzko predicted that Tkachuk will grow into “a player that’s not very fun to play against.” The question mark is whether Tkachuk can also put up points as a top-six forward. In his first season at Boston University, he had eight goals and 23 assists in 40 games along with a plus-15 rating. Good numbers until you compare them with Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel’s only year at B.U. Eichel had 26 goals and 45 assists and was a plus-51 before going No. 2 overall behind Oilers star Connor McDavid in the 2015 draft.

Why the Canadiens would be interested: Montreal is woefully undersized and Tkachuk would provide them with a power forward. However, there would be question marks about his offensive upside and he might not provide immediate help if he decides to spend another year in school. But that might be a less attractive option for Tkachuk with Boston University coach Dave Quinn moving to the New York Rangers.

phickey@postmedia.com

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