Canadiens willing to move assets for a star in his mid-20s, per Dave Pagnotta

Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens are checking in on every star who might be available, according to DFO's Dave Pagnotta on Wednesday.

The ask is specific. Montreal wants a player in the mid-20s age range, and Pagnotta says the club has a lot of assets it's willing to move.

Nobody's naming names yet. But a front office that calls on every star in October is telling the rest of the league exactly how it views this roster.

The timing is loud. Montreal sits fifth in the Atlantic at 3-2-1, heading into tonight's game in Washington on the second half of a back-to-back.

Last night's 4-3 shootout win over Buffalo made it two straight. Both wins needed a skills competition to finish, which tells you how thin the margins have been.

Montreal has scored 19 goals through six games and allowed 22. A club doesn't ring every GM in the league when it's comfortable with that math.

Injuries to Ivan Demidov and Samuel Montembeault raise the stakes

The injury report explains some of the urgency. Ivan Demidov is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and isn't expected back until at least Oct. 31.

Samuel Montembeault is also on IR, out until at least Oct. 20. That hands the crease to Jacob Fowler and Jakub Dobes.

Fowler owns a .908 save percentage and a shutout. Dobes sits at .856, which is the kind of number that keeps a coaching staff up at night.

The blue line is banged up too. Michael Matheson is day-to-day and expected out until at least Oct. 17, while Florian Xhekaj is listed day-to-day with an undisclosed issue.

So where does the help come from?

The core already skews young. Nick Suzuki, 27, leads the club with 8 points, and the GM's mid-20s target fits right on top of that group.

Lane Hutson logged 27:07 against the Sabres and scored on the power play. He's the last player in this organization who should be anywhere near a trade call.

Noah Dobson is the more awkward conversation. His $9,500,000 cap hit ranks among the 10 richest for NHL defensemen.

Through six games, he has one assist and a -2 rating. Money already spent on the back end hasn't paid off yet.

The veteran salary sits up front. Josh Anderson, 32, and Phillip Danault, 33, each carry a $5,500,000 cap hit.

Calling every team at once is like strolling onto a car lot waving a cheque. Every seller now knows Montreal is buying, and the sticker price just went up.

And Hughes should do it anyway. This roster has young pieces, but it doesn't yet have a second true star to carry the load behind Suzuki.

The hard part is what goes the other way. Teams selling a 25-year-old star won't settle for spare parts and a pick.

First, though, there's Washington. The Capitals have dropped two straight, and Montreal arrives on tired legs with a goalie tandem still finding its footing.

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