Colin White was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens off waivers earlier in the season, and at the time, it was thought to be a temporary fix.
The Canadiens moved Monahan earlier in the season, and they currently have centers Kirby Dach and Christian Dvorak on injured reserve. Despite Rafael Harvey-Pinard being considerably more suited on the wing, they were obliged to utilize him at center occasionally since it left them quite thin down the middle of the ice.
Thus, they acquired Colin White upon his placement on waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins. After playing 11 games with the Penguins without scoring, he went on to play five games for the Canadiens without scoring either. Given the ailments the Canaidens are dealing with, he is obviously a placeholder for the balance of the season.
When training camp rolls around the following year, Dach and Dvorak will be fully recovered, Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans will still be under contract, and those four players will lock down the opening night lineup places at center.
Brandon Gignac is another player signed by the organization; he will probably begin the season in the AHL, but he could be the backup center called up when the first injury happens. In addition, Owen Beck will be playing professionally for the first time, and they don’t want too many seasoned centers to stand in his way of earning a position in the NHL should he earn one during training camp, or to push him down the Laval Rocket’s depth chart should he fail to make the cut straight away.
