June 16, 2025
It’s mid-June and it looks like the Stanley Cup will finally be hoisted this coming week. Teams have already begun their off-season work, with contracts being signed and some small trades already unfolding.
The NHL amateur draft takes place on June 27 and 28, and free agency opens on July 1. The days leading up to and including the draft, and the free agency period, are the most transformative phases in the NHL calendar. These summer windows are primarily when teams are built.
The Canadiens’ management duo of Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton (HuGo) have utilized both windows of change since their arrival in Montreal. Each draft has featured trades, and free agency has thus far been used to swoop in when other teams’ needs went unmet as the free agency period shrunk.
Here is a recap of their work so far.
Assumptions have been made about how HuGo will approach this off-season based on their playoff appearance and the holes revealed through that experience. Fans and pundits have isolated the second line centreman and right shot defender holes as HuGo targets.
Have we heard those plans confirmed by HuGo?
Anticipating the next few weeks for the Habs requires that several questions be considered, because these questions will be at the forefront of planning for the management group.
Does Mike Matheson have a future in Montreal?
Matheson is entering the last year of his contract having played some of his best hockey in a Canadiens jersey. Montreal is home for Matheson, but he has seen his role change since the emergence of Lane Hutson. His upcoming contract will be his best chance to cash in, and he might fetch more on the market than is ideal for the Habs to spend.
Reviews on Matheson are mixed. Is he a turnover machine or is that a given for his style of play? Is he a valued veteran or is he no longer necessary with the kids emerging? The reader can answer quickly, but we have no idea how HuGo sees it.
The answer to that question is essential because of the organizational strength at left side defense. Hutson and Guhle can cover the left side in the top four,and ideally neither of them is forced to play their off side going forward.
Where does that leave Matheson? He’s not great on the right side, and the price he will command does not match with third pair duty, even if he is the veteran carrying a rookie.
Are Reinbacher or Mailloux ready for NHL duty?
Speaking of rookies, the next question of concern for the Habs revolves around the readiness of David Reinbacher and/or Logan Mailloux. Perhaps HuGo saw enough in the AHL playoffs to have that question answered for themselves. It might be that the only change they see for their D group next season is replacing David Savard with one of the kids.
Why would the Habs be looking at another left shot defender? Certainly his style is something they could use while trying to fill Savard’s role, and perhaps they intend to play him on the right side. It’s also possible this is the classic media leak to drive up the price tag on the trade.
Matheson might be wasted on the third pair supporting Reinbacher or Mailloux, but do you know who wouldn’t be? Nic Hague. And if those kids struggle he could play right side and support Xhekaj or Strubel, I suppose.
But if neither Reinbacher or Mailloux is ready, and Hague is the only target, are the Habs really rolling out five left shots in their top six defense group next season?
Does HuGo believe there is a 2C already in the system?
In their first draft, the Habs traded picks and a young defender to land Kirby Dach. In their second draft, they traded more picks to acquire Alex Newhook. In their third draft, HuGo traded picks to move up and take Michael Hage.
Despite these efforts, the narrative from fans and pundits is that the Habs do not have in their organization a second line centreman behind Nick Suzuki. Do Hughes and Gorton agree?
It’s unlikely that the Habs ever saw Newhook as a 2C option, but if they did when they acquired him it’s unlikely they still have hopes in that direction.
Kirby Dach is a different story. He’s big and skilled and looks a lot like the player HuGo says they need. If they can’t land a bona fide 2C this summer, might they go for a skilled winger and give Dach another shot as the pivot between the new guy and Ivan Demidov?
Michael Hage is also a different story. He’s a kid they wanted and he’s still early in his development. It’s almost certain they see a future for him in Montreal, and are still hoping he can be their 2C. It’s simply too early to tell, and we are a couple of years away with Hage. If Hughes and Gorton aren’t as quick as fans to write off their prospect, might they look for a placeholder to fill the spot while they wait? Perhaps Dach gets his last shot while they wait?
It’s almost certain that HuGo will add another forward for the top six, but there is no guarantee that forward will be a centreman.
Will the Habs make cap-clearing moves?
The Montreal Canadiens are in relatively good shape from a cap management perspective. Several UFAs will come off the books and retention spots will be freed up before free agency opens. Those factors, along with a rising cap, allow the Canadiens to add to meet their needs without much stress.
That said, if the perfect opportunity opened and it happened to be a pricey one, the Habs are not exactly drowning in cap space. In that event, Hughes might be looking to make a cap clearing move.
One year remains on Carey Price’s contract, and for the right sweetener a cap floor team might be amenable to taking it on. A lot can be done with that coin. If the Habs are able to sign a UFA for the top six, that might make Patrick Laine somewhat redundant, and he’s way too expensive to be redundant. But with 50% retained, he might fetch a little something in return.
The contracts belonging to Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher have two years remaining, and together represent $12 million in cap space. Both players found ways to be useful this past season, and the urgency to move them has diminished. But if the need arose, Anderson could certainly be dealt to free up space.
Hughes doesn’t have to clear the cap before adding, but if we see him trading out a contract it will be a strong hint of an incoming player.
There is no doubt that HuGo will leave no stone unturned in these upcoming windows of change to improve the Montreal Canadiens. If we’re make assumptions about the answers to those questions, we might be surprised at what unfolds.
Hab At Her 