Early in free agency, there are things we can surmise about the Habs

July 4, 2025

With the first wave of a fairly flat free agency already in the books, General Manager Kent Hughes has approached the 2025 free agency window of change much like he approached his first three at the helm of the Montreal Canadiens.

Like years past, Hughes has not yet overpaid on one free agent. Instead, in addition to depth signings, he has used the window to capitalize on the needs of other teams who don’t see a path to have their needs met in free agency.

Hughes met with the press just hours after free agency opened. In addition to the things that are obvious, there are things we can surmise about how the rest of the free agency window will shake out.

Hughes let every UFA walk, and that was the right call.

I was fascinated to see fans clamouring for the Habs to re-sign Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia. I get it. Both were important to the penalty kill last season, and Dvorak will also be missed as a left-shot centreman who was good in the face off circle.

Folks, the Montreal Canadiens won exactly one playoff game with those guys in the lineup. The team is not good enough, and clogging roster spots and cap space with guys you’re afraid to lose only limits your ability to pounce when better players become available. The only pending UFA that made sense for them to re-sign got extended at the deadline.

To quote Hughes, “My focus is more so on what we can do to build a team that’s capable of competing for the Stanley Cup.” Status quo is not how that gets done.

Hughes understands that sometimes you have to take a step back before you take two forward.

Hughes told the media that the Montreal Canadiens know that improvement at centre is likely coming through trade rather than free agency.

This should have been obvious when every centreman worth chasing was off the market before free agency opened. I suppose they could have given Granlund the $21 million, or whatever it took, for three years. Is a smallish 33-year-old really the perfect fit in Montreal? Better than Dvorak, perhaps, but good enough to contend for a Stanley Cup? Don’t be ridiculous. He would have been understood as a placeholder and he would be in the way if a better option presented.

Hughes knows it might hurt them in the short term to not find an upgrade down the middle, but he’s not prepared to screw them over for the long term by signing inadequate pieces.

Hughes is not afraid to create a little internal competition.

The Habs have just two sure bets at centre – Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans. The other spots, barring another deal, are available to the guy who wins them. The competitors so far are Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Oliver Kapanen… and Zachary Bolduc.

Based on the current lineup, at least two lines will have two guys who bring a centreman’s skillset to the table, whether they’re able to do that full-time or not.

HuGo went into the off-season looking for a forward to play with Ivan Demidov. They may have found him in Bolduc, and he will get a chance to prove that his speedy, forechecking, agitating, sharp-shooting skillset is a complement to the young Russian, at least until better players arrive.

Is it possible that the Habs have acquired a poor man’s Sam Bennett? Might the kid who broke out last season be the piece needed for a line with Demidov and Dach? Might he even share some C duties with Dach, and the two can duke it out to become the 2C?

What about that third line? Might Kapanen get a chance to play with Newhook, alongside Patrik Laine? Might the two of them share C duties until the true pivot emerges? By the way, Patrik Laine’s salary won’t guarantee him a top-six spot. A strong off-season and better five-on-five play might get him there, but he’ll have to earn it.

The Habs have a new 13th forward.

Pezzetta is out and Sammy Blais is in. $775,000 is the perfect amount to pay for a guy who can be number 13 in your forward group. He can provide short term injury relief and create some internal competition for the bottom six, while also being low risk to demote to Laval if a better option presents itself between now and opening night.

Based on what I have said so far, I expect forward lines that look something like this. Of course, by the time you’ve made it to the end of this article, another move could change everything.

Michael Matheson is not Jeff Petry.

Sportsnet’s Eric Engels asked the question about Matheson’s value to the Habs, and the answer would leave you to believe the veteran defender is not going anywhere. What else was Hughes going to say?

This is not the Petry situation, however. Matheson has not requested a trade and his wife isn’t making her discontent public on social media. For the right return, Hughes will absolutely move Matheson, as is true of many players on the roster of any team. But he doesn’t have to move Matheson, and the Habs might even benefit from keeping him.

What if David Reinbacher is not ready? No big deal as long as they keep Matheson. They can just play Lane Hutson on the right until Reinbacher is ready to join the NHL roster. What if Kaiden Guhle can’t stay healthy? That’s manageable with Matheson on the roster. What if acquiring the perfect centre for Demidov has a price tag attached that includes Guhle?

There is the value in Matheson. He’s a proven, no drama veteran that can help the Habs in many ways.

Now re-signing him is another story. You’ll have to sell that to me. But there is no rush to deal him until his role is confirmed redundant by the arrival of Reinbacher and the consistency of Guhle. Who knows what return he might fetch 20 games into the season?

Hughes is definitely not done.

He told us he continues to work the phones. He told us that management knows it is on them to build this team to its competitive stage. There will be another deal or two that bring the Habs closer. We might have to be patient though, because this GM won’t force it, no matter how much the fans want a deal.