One of the NHL's top young players spotted in Montreal and speculation surges

Maxime Truman posted "Pourquoi?" alongside the photo - "Why?" in French - which fans quickly framed as a possibility at a Montreal future.

Kent Hughes has openly stated he wants a second-line center acquired via trade, and Beniers fits the profile almost perfectly.

He is a 6'2" left-handed center with two seasons of 50-plus points and six years remaining on a $7.14 million annual deal, with no modified no-trade clause until 2030.

The problem with this narrative is that it asks the wrong question entirely.

Of course they do. Hughes confirmed the need publicly. Beniers ticks every box on a Canadiens roster built around Nick Suzuki, and a second elite center would transform Montreal from a playoff hopeful into a genuine contender.

But the question that actually matters is whether new Kraken GM Jason Botterill would say yes.

Botterill was hired this spring to rebuild a franchise that missed the playoffs four of five seasons.

He brings a Pittsburgh pedigree - three Stanley Cups - and an explicit mandate to construct something lasting in Seattle.

Trading Beniers before his first draft would mean dismantling the rebuild before it starts.

Beniers recorded 43 points in 82 games last season - productive but not franchise-defining numbers.

He is, however, the most coveted moveable asset on a thin Kraken roster. Any package Montreal offers, likely centered on a first-round pick and a top prospect, moves Seattle backward before Botterill and head coach Lane Lambert have coached a single game together.

A player photographed at an airport is not a trade. But it is a useful test of whether Seattle's new front office is genuinely building - or preparing to cash out before the rebuild has a chance.