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The Next Great Habs Writer Finalist#2 “Habs 2025-2026 Plan By Cooper” |
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The Montreal Canadiens are coming off a season that was filled with more highs than lows, which is exactly what the fan base was hoping for and it signalled that the team has taken a big step forward in their rebuild.
For the first time since 2021, the Canadiens returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and faced off against Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, who would go on to take the series in five games.
Heading into the offseason, Montreal Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes has a few holes to fill on the team’s NHL roster and with the free agent class not as deep as years past, they may have to go down the trade route to address some of their needs.
The most glaring need the Canadiens have this summer is the second line center position, a role which the team was hoping that Kirby Dach would’ve taken over by now, but due to injuries in the last two seasons, he’s been unable to officially make that his spot.
While the Canadiens are more than confident that Kirby Dach will be 100 percent healthy by the time training camp rolls around in September, it might be wise to shift the former third overall pick to the wing and look for a second line centerman, as mentioned, via trade.
Now, when looking for someone to fill that role, the Canadiens are going to want a player that lines up age-wise with the core they have now, which features Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson, Juraj Slafkovsky and Nick Suzuki, which a) won’t come easy and b) won’t be cheap.
Not to worry, the cupboards are full of assets that the Montreal Canadiens could move this summer to bring in a young, impact player they covet.. With a deep prospect pool and plenty of draft picks to work with, including seven in the first three rounds this year, two of which are in the first round - 16th and 17th overall, Kent Hughes is set up nicely to make some noise in the offseason.
That being said, the most ideal player the Canadiens could target, when taking into consideration his age and the assets needed to acquire him, is Minnesota Wild centerman Marco Rossi, who is set to become a restricted free agent.
The Minnesota Wild are reportedly testing the market on the Austrian forward. Reports suggest that Rossi is seeking a contract similar to that of Matt Boldy’s, who earns $7 million annually.
If Rossi makes it to July 1st and isn’t either traded or extended by the Wild, some believe he could be a candidate for an offer sheet and if a team were to swoop in and sign him to one worth $7 million AAV, the compensation would be a first and third round picks in 2026, which wouldn’t be too bad, considering the potential the 23-year-old.
However, if the Canadiens were to get ahead of the curve and try to trade for Marco Rossi, they will more than likely have to part with one of their first round picks in this year’s Entry Draft, either 16th or 17th, along with at least one high-end prospect.
It’s very unlikely that Kent Hughes will want to part with Michael Hage, who is returning to the University of Michigan for his sophomore season in the fall, but would Minnesota be interested in one of the Canadiens’ defensive prospects? Perhaps someone like Logan Mailloux, who is getting closer to a full-time role in the NHL, could intrigue Bill Guerin. The Canadiens might have to add another asset to sweeten the package a bit, likely another draft pick in the 2nd or 3rd round range.
Beyond Marco Rossi, the Canadiens also need to consider what they will do to fill the holes left by Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia and Michael Pezzetta, all of whom become UFAs on Canada Day. More than likely, the Canadiens will promote from within, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see at least one depth signing on July 1st, perhaps someone like Martin Frk, who had a solid year in the American Hockey League with the Calgary Wranglers after spending the previous season in Switzerland.
Hypothetically speaking, if the Montreal Canadiens traded for Marco Rossi, signed Martin Frk and promoted from within the organization (on the blueline), this is what their lineup could look like on opening night in October:
Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky
Dach-Rossi-Demidov
Anderson-Newhook-Laine
Heineman-Evans-Gallagher
Guhle-Hutson
Matheson-Carrier
Struble-Reinbacher
Montembeault
Primeau
Extras: Arber Xhekaj, Martin Frk, Rafael Harvey-Pinard.
Now, there might be some questions regarding the lineup I’ve suggested above including - Where’s Jakub Dobes? Where’s Oliver Kapanen? And Why is Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Cayden Primeau on the NHL roster?
Firstly, Jakub Dobes did a great job as Samuel Montembeault’s backup from late-December through to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where he was thrusted into action due to the former suffering an injury. Dobes needs playing time, it’s as simple as that and being able to get that ice time down in Laval would help him in a big way and he could form one of the AHL’s best goaltending tandems with top prospect Jacob Fowler.
That brings us to Cayden Primeau and why he’s on my opening night roster. Primeau struggled to start the 2024-25 season and ended up on waivers before clearing and heading to Laval. Once he got to the Rocket, he was unstoppable, finishing the regular season with a 21-2-2 record, along with a 1.96 goals against average, a .927 save percentage and two shutouts.
Because of his strong play in the American Hockey League, the odds that Primeau would clear waivers at the end of training camp in early October, if the Canadiens sign the RFA this summer, is quite unlikely, hence why I have him on my NHL roster.
The Canadiens also can’t afford to lose a goaltender on the waiver wire, unless they were to sign someone this summer. As it stands right now, the Canadiens have three goaltenders under contract (Cayden Primeau RFA w/ arbitration rights) as Connor Hughes is heading back to Europe on a long-term contract with Lausanne HC in Switzerland. The odds of Montreal signing a goaltender this summer is pretty high as they’ll need depth in Laval to get through the regular season. You never know when injury issues will arise and you have to be prepared for every possibility.
As for Oliver Kapanen, I’ll preface this by saying I’m a big fan of his and I believe that he has all the tools necessary to become a middle-six centerman in the National Hockey League. However, given the depth Montreal would have down the middle on their NHL roster, if they traded for Marco Rossi, Kapanen would likely have to start the year in Laval, which wouldn’t be a bad thing for his development. Kapanen was assigned to Laval once Montreal’s first round series against Washington concluded and he’s been very good with the Rocket, putting up six points in nine games.
When it comes to Rafael Harvey-Pinard, fans have mixed feelings about him and rightfully so. He had a great 34-game stint with the team back in 2022-23, registering 20 points, but since then, his development has kind of stagnated and looks destined for a bottom line role in the NHL or top-six in the AHL, whether that be with the Canadiens or another franchise.
The 26-year-old is a restricted free agent on July 1st and if he manages to train hard this summer and work on the areas of his game that need refining, I firmly believe he could put himself in the mix for an opening night roster spot.
It could be a big summer for Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens’ management group. If all goes well and they’re able to land a second line centerman, along with seeing progression from their young core and get some solid goaltending from Samuel Montembeault, the Canadiens could be looking towards back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, something they haven’t done since 2020 & 2021.
-Cooper.
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