Darren Dreger: Hughes is going all in on a target but is it really the right fit for Montreal?

The Canadiens have been linked to Mason McTavish, but Darren Dreger raised the question that matters. Does his game actually fit how Montreal plays?

Dreger framed it from the Habs' side. If you're Montreal, he said, you look at what you have and ask whether McTavish is capable of playing the game the way you play.

His answer was honest. "Some would question that," Dreger said, putting a real asterisk on an otherwise appealing fit.

The context makes it timely. Montreal was reportedly linked to McTavish among other names, so the fit debate isn't hypothetical.

It comes down to identity.

Dreger's read cuts past the name and into the substance.

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Talent isn't the question, stylistic fit is

Start with Montreal's identity. Under Martin St-Louis, the Canadiens finished 106 points and sixth overall playing a fast, skilled, puck-possession game built around a young, speedy core.

That's the lens for any addition. The way they play is specific, and not every talented player slots into it cleanly.

Now McTavish. He's a 23-year-old center on a $7 million deal, a gifted, heavier, more north-south type of pivot. The talent isn't in doubt. The style is the question.

That's Dreger's whole point. A power center on a speed-and-skill team isn't an automatic match, no matter how good he is.

Here's the fair counter, though. Talent usually adapts, and a 23-year-old has plenty of room to evolve. His power element could even complement Montreal's skill rather than clash with it.

St-Louis's system can flex, too. A young center with upside is worth figuring out how to use, not dismissing over a stylistic worry.

Here's my read: Dreger's question is the right one to ask before any big swing. Montreal shouldn't add a center just because he's young and available if the fit is forced.

But a controllable 23-year-old pivot is exactly the kind of player you build around if you can make it work. The evaluation is fit, not just the name on the list.

So the McTavish link comes with a genuine question mark. Whether Kent Hughes and St-Louis see a clean fit, or pivot to a better stylistic match, is what decides it.

The talent is real. The homework is whether his game and Montreal's actually mesh.