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Summer Synopsis: Montreal Canadiens

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With training camps now upon us, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective.  Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled.  Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team has accomplished this offseason.  Next up is a look at Montreal.

The Canadiens were hoping to be in the mix for the playoffs last season and a late-season surge not only allowed them to do that, but it also allowed them to sneak into the postseason, perhaps a little earlier than anticipated.  While they were quickly dispatched by Washington in the opening round, their movement this summer suggests that they’re expecting to take another step forward in their rebuilding process this season.

Draft

2-34 – F Alexander Zharovsky, Ufa (MHL)
3-69 – F Hayden Paupanekis, Kelowna (WHL)
3-81 – D Bryce Pickford, Medicine Hat (WHL)
3-82 – G Arseni Radkov, Tyumen (MHL)
4-113 – F L.J. Mooney, U.S. U18 (NTDP)
5-145 – G Alexis Cournoyer, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
6-177 – D Carlos Handel, Halifax (QMJHL)
6-189 – D Andrew MacNiel, Kitchener (OHL)
7-209 – D Maxon Vig, Cedar Rapids (USHL)

It’s not very often that a team trying to emerge from a rebuild trades two first-round picks instead of adding to its prospect cupboard but the Canadiens did just that, dealing the 16th and 17th selections (forward Victor Eklund and defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson) as part of a draft-day swap that saw them add a top-pairing defenseman, a move we’ll get to shortly.

They also made a pair of moves on the second day of the draft, trading up for their first two selections, including two second-round selections to get Zharovsky.  The winger showed lots of raw offensive skill in Russia’s junior league last season before making his KHL debut in the playoffs.  He’s likely at least a couple of years away from being considered to move to North America but if he develops as planned, he could be a top-six piece down the road.

Paupanekis was the other player they moved up for.  A big center who showed some flashes of offensive upside with a capable defensive game, they’re hoping that he could be a bottom-six option down the road.  Pickford was picked in his second year of eligibility after averaging nearly a point per game in the regular season while adding 24 points in 18 playoff contests.  He’s eligible to turn pro next season and could be an intriguing offense-first blueliner in a few seasons.

The rest of Montreal’s selections qualify as longer-term projects.  Mooney is the headliner from the list, a player whose skill level is pretty high offensively with a ceiling higher than many drafted ahead of him.  However, he’d also be one of the smallest players in the NHL if he makes it which undoubtedly contributed to his drop on draft day but midway through the draft, Montreal felt it was worth the gamble.

Trade Acquisitions

F Zachary Bolduc (from Blues)
D Noah Dobson (from Islanders)
D Gannon Laroque (from Sharks)

The Canadiens swung arguably the biggest trade of the summer to bring Dobson in from New York.  Included in the swap was an eight-year, $76MM sign-and-trade contract, making him the highest-paid skater in franchise history in terms of AAV.  Clearly, Montreal feels that his drop in points to 39 (down from 70 the year before) is something that isn’t going to be continued while they’ll be counting on him to take a step forward in his defensive game as well.  If all goes according to plan, they’ll have a right-shot top-pairing defender locked up through his prime years, checking off a key part of their rebuilding checklist although with Lane Hutson in the fold, he may not get as many prime offensive chances as he did with the Islanders.

Bolduc comes over in a one-for-one swap with St. Louis that saw a pair of 2021 first-round picks get moved for each other.  Bolduc had a strong second half last season, ultimately coming up just short of 20 goals while also bringing a bit of physicality to their bottom six.  Montreal will be expecting him to pick up where he left off and fill a similar role with them this season.  As for Laroque, he was acquired merely as a contract matcher in the swap with the Sharks.  He didn’t play at all last season and wasn’t invited to camp this year, suggesting his playing days are likely done.

UFA Signings

F Alex Belzile (one year, $775K)*
F Sammy Blais (one year, $775K)
D Nathan Clurman (one year, $775K)*
D Marc Del Gaizo (one year, $775K)*
G Kaapo Kahkonen (one year, $1.15MM)
F Joe Veleno (one year, $900K)

*-denotes two-way contract
^-denotes re-signing

As has been the case under GM Kent Hughes, Montreal largely stayed on the sidelines when it came to free agent additions this summer.  Their most expensive signing – Kahkonen – is likely to start in the minors (assuming he clears waivers), a sign of how little they spent here.  Veleno, bought out by Seattle back in June, is someone who should break camp with the Canadiens but is likely ticketed for a limited role to start the year.  Blais is on the borderline for a roster spot while the others are all ticketed for the minors.

RFA Re-Signings

G Jakub Dobes (two years, $1.9MM)
F Sean Farrell (one year, $775K)*
D Jayden Struble (two years, $2.8MM)
D William Trudeau (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes two-way contract

Struble’s first two seasons were nearly mirror images of each other.  There were times when he flashed top-four upside and other stretches where he struggled to simply get in the lineup.  This bridge deal allows both sides more time to see if there’s a full-time spot for him in Montreal while it’s front-loaded, yielding a cheaper qualifying offer two years from now.

Dobes started the season in the minors but a late-December recall saw him get off to quite the start, winning his first five games, including several against some of the better teams in the league.  On the flip side, he struggled more down the stretch and with fewer than 20 games played (including playoffs), he’s still rather inexperienced.  Montreal will be hoping that he can shoulder a bit more of the workload after Sam Montembeault was among the league leaders in games played last season.

Departures

F Joel Armia (signed with Kings, two years, $5MM)
F Alex Barre-Boulet (signed with Avalanche, one year, $775K)*
F Christian Dvorak (signed with Flyers, one year, $5.4MM)
F Brandon Gignac (signed with Kloten, NL)
F Rafael Harvey-Pinard (signed with Penguins, one year, $775K)*
F Emil Heineman (trade with Islanders)
D Noel Hoefenmayer (signed with Sochi, KHL)
G Connor Hughes (signed with Lausanne, NL)
G Gustav Lindstrom (signed with Djurgarden, SHL)
D Logan Mailloux (trade with Blues)
F Michael Pezzetta (signed with Maple Leafs, two years, $1.55MM)
G Cayden Primeau (trade with Hurricanes)
G Carey Price (trade with Sharks)
D David Savard (retirement)
F Xavier Simoneau (NHL rights relinquished but signed AHL deal with Laval)

*-denotes two-way contract

In the NHL, the center market is often a market of its own.  The contract given to Dvorak is a good example of that.  He has yet to record 40 points in a season but his defensive game and faceoff ability coupled with a scarcity of available options yielded this deal, one that agents will undoubtedly be trying to use as a benchmark moving forward.  Armia was another longer-term bottom-six piece in Montreal who is moving on.  While he hasn’t produced enough offensively to live up to his first-round draft selection, he has carved out a viable career as a strong checker.  Filling their roles defensively could be challenging for the Canadiens this season.

Heineman was the other piece in the Dobson swap.  He got off to a strong start in his first full NHL season before being hit by a car in Utah, landing him on IR and upon his return, his production dropped.  Nonetheless, the Isles feel he still has another level to get to.  Still just 23, Heineman has been traded three times now for quality players, Sam Bennett, Tyler Toffoli, and Dobson.  Pezzetta was a regular on the roster for the past few years but played sparingly overall, being healthy scratched more than 50 times.

Savard was another fixture on Montreal’s penalty kill and was eighth in total blocked shots last season.  However, he was struggling as the season went on and knew by the playoffs that he was nearing an end to his playing days.  Dobson is his replacement, though he’ll play a much bigger role overall.  Dobson’s addition also was enough security to part with Mailloux in the Bolduc trade.  Mailloux has shown himself to be a strong offensive defenseman in the minors and even in his brief taste of NHL action.  His defensive game is an area of some concern and the Blues will be hoping to help him take some steps forward on that front as he looks to be a full-time regular for them this season.

With Price entering the final year of his contract and an early-September bonus paid, the Canadiens gave up a fifth-round pick to send him to the Sharks, allowing themselves to get out of LTIR.  He hasn’t played since a five-game stint late in 2021-22 and won’t play again.  Primeau was the backup heading into last season but struggled mightily, leading to his clearing waivers and Dobes coming up.  However, he finished strong in the minors which was enough for Carolina to send a seventh-round pick for him to add to their goalie depth.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Price trade significantly altered Montreal’s cap situation for the upcoming season.  Instead of being several million deep into LTIR and facing a certain bonus overage penalty for the fourth year in a row, they have over $4.5MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.  While they’ll want to keep a significant chunk of that for bonuses (around half of that), that should still allow them to bank ample in-season flexibility to cover injuries and, if they’re in a push for a playoff spot, try to make a late-season addition or two.

Key Questions

What Will Laine Bring To The Table? Patrik Laine’s first season with Montreal was certainly eventful.  He suffered a knee injury in the preseason, causing him to miss nearly two months.  Upon returning, he became a power play dynamo, finishing fourth in the league in power play goals scored with 15 (two off the lead) despite missing 30 games.  However, he only managed five goals at even strength and as the season went on, his playing time and role dropped amid concerns about his five-on-five play.  The end result was a career-low ATOI.  Now healthy, he’s entering a contract year and it feels like he’s a big Wild Card heading into the season.  Can he re-establish himself as a legitimate top-six threat at even strength and position himself for a long-term agreement?  Or will he continue to be primarily a power play gunner, something that would have him staring down a significant dip in pay from his $8.7MM AAV.

How Will They Fill The 2C Role? While Montreal made a big move to add Dobson on the back end, they weren’t successful in adding an impact center, something they and many other teams struck out on.  As a result, they enter the season with largely the same options and questions as before.  Can Kirby Dach stay healthy and take a step forward in his development?  While Alex Newhook has started on the wing two straight years, he has finished down the middle each time.  Can he be a full-time option and push for that spot?  Recently, Oliver Kapanen has seen some preseason action in that role but he has just two assists in 18 games thus far in his early NHL career.  Can one of them step up or will that be a weak spot again this season?

What Type Of Impact Will Demidov Have? The Canadiens were able to get Ivan Demidov out of his KHL contract late in the season, allowing him to get into a couple of regular season games and their five playoff outings, showing flashes of the upside that made him the fifth overall pick just a year ago.  Can he have a similar type of impact as fellow countryman Matvei Michkov and give Montreal a second offensive line, something they’ve been lacking for a while?

Photos courtesy of Wendell Cruz and Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

Hutson Might Be Willing To Leave A Bit Of Money On Table In Extension

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With new contracts handed out in recent days to Luke Hughes and Jackson LaCombe, some attention has shifted to Canadiens blueliner Lane Hutson.  While he still has one year left on his entry-level contract, the belief is that there is mutual interest in getting something done before the season begins.  In a recent appearance on Daily Faceoff’s The Sheet (video link), David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period suggested that the blueliner appears to be willing to leave a bit of money on the table, similar to what several of his teammates did in an effort to give themselves a chance to continue to add down the road.  However, that discount might be capped at a few hundred thousand per season on a long-term pact.  With both Hughes and LaCombe checking in at $9MM, it stands to reason that Hutson could very well land close to that number on his next deal as well, whether that comes now, in-season, or next summer.

No Long-Term Injury Concern For Ivan Demidov

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In one of the more violent preseason contests in recent memory, the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens combined for 150 PIMs yesterday evening. Unfortunately, after multiple fights broke out between Hayden Hodgson, Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, and Jan Jenik, it was Montreal’s sensation, Ivan Demidov, who would leave the game with an injury after a malicious slash from Senator Nick Cousins.

Fortunately, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, there doesn’t appear to be any long-term injury concern for Demidov. The Canadiens may hold him out of the team’s next contest on Saturday, again against Ottawa, though he should be ready to start the season on time. The odds-on favorite to win the 2025-26 Calder Memorial Award has recorded three assists in three preseason contests with Montreal.

Understandably, the Canadiens’ admonishment of Cousins’ actions was clear. In an article from Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, head coach Martin St. Louis was quoted as saying, “There’s no need for that. It’s an exhibition game; both teams are trying to get ready for a long season. I don’t think there’s any need for that in the game.”

[SOURCE LINK]

Max Pacioretty Retires, Joins University Of Michigan’s Coaching Staff

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Tuesday: Pacioretty has indeed retired with the University of Michigan announcing that the long-time NHLer has been hired as a special assistant to head coach Brandon Naurato.  Pacioretty released the following statement:

After 17 seasons in the NHL, I’m excited to begin this next chapter with Michigan Hockey. I’m so thankful for the teammates, coaches and fans who have been a part of my journey. Hockey has given me so much, and now I have the opportunity to help develop the next generation of players. Michigan has a tradition of producing elite talent, and I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned to help these guys grow on and off the ice. Just as important, this next step allows me to be closer to my family and spend more time with my kids. I’m going to be coaching my four boys in youth hockey and that’s something I’ll really cherish as a dad.

Monday: One of the NHL’s better goal-scorers from the 2010s has reportedly hung up his skates. According to Nick Alberga of TheLeafsNation, instead of giving it one last shot in the NHL, veteran Max Pacioretty has chosen to hang up his skates and take a job at his alma mater, the University of Michigan.

Given that much of the conjecture surrounding Pacioretty this offseason was his desire to play close to Southeast Michigan, that effectively left his options down to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Although reporting from earlier in the summer indicated the Red Wings as his preferred destination, the team seemingly filled the void on the opening day of free agency by signing James van Riemsdyk.

Still, the New Canaan, CT native will get his desired outcome, albeit in a different role. Alberga didn’t allude to the exact position Pacorietty is taking in Ann Arbor, though it’s a fair guess to assume it’s with their hockey program.

Despite failing to find another job in the NHL, there’s very little for Pacioretty to feel ashamed about in his 17-year career.

He was originally selected with the 22nd overall pick of the 2007 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He immediately shifted to the University of Michigan after being drafted, scoring 15 goals and 39 points in 37 games during his freshman season. The Canadiens felt that one season of growth was enough in the NCAA and signed Pacioretty to his entry-level contract after his impressive one-and-done campaign.

In the first three years of his professional career, Pacioretty split his time between Montreal and its then-AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. From the beginning of the 2008-09 season to the end of the 2010-11 campaign, Pacioretty scored 20 goals and 49 points in 123 games with the Canadiens, and 25 goals and 72 points with the Bulldogs in 82 contests.

Since the beginning of the 2011-12 campaign, Pacioretty hadn’t looked back. He exploded offensively, scoring 33 goals and 65 points in 79 games, nearly tripling his production from one year prior. Rewarding his success, the Canadiens signed Pacioretty to a six-year, $27MM extension the following offseason.

Over the next six years, despite some injury concerns, Pacioretty became a consistent scoring winger in Montreal and was named the team’s captain ahead of the 2015-16 season. Throughout that stretch, he crossed the 60-point threshold four times, scoring 173 goals and 334 points in 424 games. Additionally, although the Canadiens managed only one quality postseason run with Pacioretty on the roster, he scored 10 goals and 19 points in 38 postseason games with Montreal, averaging 19:29 of ice time per game.

Unfortunately, he would not play out the rest of his extension with the only organization he had ever known. The Canadiens traded Pacioretty to the Vegas Golden Knights on July 13th, 2022, for Nick Suzuki, Tomáš Tatar, and a 2019 second-round pick. He signed a four-year, $28MM contract with the Golden Knights one day later.

His first three years in Vegas were impressive, scoring 78 goals and 157 points in 185 games after the team’s Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural campaign. He continued his quality scoring in the postseason, registering 15 goals and 30 points in 36 postseason contests for the Golden Knights.

Again, due to growing injury concerns and the need for additional cap space, the Golden Knights traded Pacioretty for the second time in his career, this time to the Carolina Hurricanes, along with Dylan Coghlan, for future considerations. In one of those unfortunate cases from the 2021-22 season, Pacioretty only managed five games with the Hurricanes due to two torn Achilles tendons.

Working his way back the following offseason and through much of the 2022-23 campaign, Pacioretty signed a bonus-laden one-year contract with the Washington Capitals. After returning to game action in early January, Pacioretty finished the year with four goals and 23 points in 47 games, with an additional assist in four postseason contests.

In what would become the last contract of his career, Pacioretty signed another bonus-laden deal, this time with the Maple Leafs. He struggled with injuries throughout the year, managing only five goals and 13 points in 37 games. Still, he was one of Toronto’s better performers in the playoffs, scoring three goals and eight points in 11 games, including the game-winner that allowed the Maple Leafs to move to the second round.

Pacioretty finishes his career with 335 goals and 681 points in 939 games, averaging 17:16 of ice time per contest. All of us at PHR congratulate “Patches” on a successful career and wish him the best as he moves to his next role at the University of Michigan.

Photo courtesy of Jean-Yves Ahern-Imagn Images. 

Training Camp Cuts: 9/28/25

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The countdown to the NHL season has reached single-digits. Teams will kickoff in just nine days, with the preseason set to last just six more days. That will put the pressure on every team to begin finalize their opening night roster – and quickly expand the list of exciting names on the waiver wire. Each team’s current roster can be found at our Training Camp Roster Tracker. Here is the list of today’s cuts:

Anaheim Ducks (per team announcement)

F Justin Bailey (to AHL San Diego)
D Jeremie Biakabutuka (to AHL San Diego)
D Nikolas Brouillard (to AHL San Diego)
G Vyacheslav Buteyets (to AHL San Diego)
F Judd Caulfield (to AHL San Diego)
G Calle Clang (to AHL San Diego)
F Nathan Gaucher (to AHL San Diego)
F Nico Myatovic (to AHL San Diego)
F Sasha Pastujov (to AHL San Diego)
F Matthew Phillips (to AHL San Diego)
F Yegor Sidorov (to AHL San Diego)
D Konnor Smith (to AHL San Diego)
G Tomas Suchanek (to AHL San Diego)
D Noah Warren (to AHL San Diego)
F Jaxsen Wiebe (to AHL San Diego)
C Jan Mysak (placed on waivers with intent to reassign to AHL San Diego)

Boston Bruins (per team announcement)

F Joey Abate (to AHL Providence)
G Luke Cavallin (to AHL Providence)
F Ty Cheveldayoff (to AHL Providence)
D Jackson Edward (to AHL Providence)
D Colin Felix (to AHL Providence)
D Ty Gallagher (to AHL Providence)
D Loke Johansson (to AHL Providence)
F Jake Schmaltz (to AHL Providence)
D Max Wanner (to AHL Providence)
G Simon Zajicek (to AHL Providence)

Carolina Hurricanes (per team announcement)

G Amir Miftakhov (to AHL Chicago)
G Ruslan Khazheyev (to AHL Chicago)

Chicago Blackhawks (per team announcement)

G Stanislav Berezhnoy (to AHL Rockford)
F Jackson Cates (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
F Gavin Hayes (to AHL Rockford)
F Martin Misiak (to AHL Rockford)

Colorado Avalanche (per team announcement)

D Ronnie Attard (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Colorado)
F Chase Bradley (to AHL Colorado)
D Alex Gagne (to AHL Colorado)
F Cooper Gay (to AHL Colorado)
G Kyle Keyser (to AHL Colorado)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team announcement)

F Luca Del Bel Belluz (to AHL Cleveland)
F James Malatesta (to AHL Cleveland)
F Max McCue (to AHL Cleveland)
F Luca Pinelli (to AHL Cleveland)
D Corson Ceulemans (to AHL Cleveland)
D Stanislav Svozil (to AHL Cleveland)
G Nolan Lalonde (to AHL Cleveland)
F Hudson Fasching (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Cleveland)
F Brendan Gaunce (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Cleveland)
F Mikael Pyyhtia (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Cleveland)
F Oiva Keskinen (to Tappara, Liiga)
D Brendan Smith (released from PTO)

Dallas Stars (per team announcement)

F Francesco Arcuri (to AHL Texas)
D Tristan Bertucci (to AHL Texas)
F Justin Ertel (to AHL Texas)
F Emil Hemming (to AHL Texas)
G Ben Kraws (to AHL Texas)
D Christian Kyrou (to AHL Texas)
F Ayrton Martino (to AHL Texas)
F Angus MacDonnell (to AHL Texas)
D Connor Punnett (to AHL Texas)
F Harrison Scott (to AHL Texas)
F Matthew Seminoff (to AHL Texas)
D Trey Taylor (to AHL Texas)
G Arno Tiefensee (to AHL Texas)
D Gavin White (to AHL Texas)
D Tommy Bergsland (released from ATO to AHL Texas)
F Sean Chisholm (released from ATO to AHL Texas)
D Aidan Hreschuk (released from ATO to AHL Texas)
F Artem Shlaine (released from ATO to AHL Texas)
F Jack Becker (released from PTO to AHL Texas)
G Antoine Bibeau (released from PTO to AHL Texas)
F Cross Hanas (released from PTO to AHL Texas)
D Michael Karow (released from PTO to AHL Texas)
D Kyle Looft (released from PTO to AHL Texas)
F Curtis MacKenzie (released from PTO to AHL Texas)
F Kaleb Pearson (released from PTO to AHL Texas)

Los Angeles Kings (per team announcement)

F Jacob Doty (to AHL Ontario)
F Jack Hughes (to AHL Ontario)
F Kenta Isogai (to AHL Ontario)

Minnesota Wild (per team announcement)

F Bradley Marek (to AHL Iowa)
F Riley Heidt (to AHL Iowa)
D Kyle Masters (to AHL Iowa)
D Jack Peart (to AHL Iowa)
F Elliot Desnoyers (to AHL Iowa)
F Jean-Luc Foudy (to AHL Iowa)
F Mark Liwiski (to AHL Iowa)
F Ryan Sandelin (to AHL Iowa)
D Mike Koster (to AHL Iowa)
D Will Zmolek (to AHL Iowa)

Montreal Canadiens (per team announcement)

F Vincent Arseneau (to AHL Laval)
F Alex Belzile (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Laval)
D Nathan Clurman (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Laval)
F Lucas Condotta (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Laval)
F Laurent Dauphin (to AHL Laval)
F Jared Davidson (to AHL Laval)
D Marc Del Gaizo (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Laval)
F Will Dineen (to AHL Laval)
F Joe Dunlap (to AHL Laval)
F Mark Estapa (to AHL Laval)
F Sean Farrell (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Laval)
G Jacob Fowler (to AHL Laval)
G Benjamin Gaudreau (to AHL Laval)
F Egor Guriunov (to AHL Laval)
D Joshua Jacobs (to AHL Laval)
G Hunter Jones (to AHL Laval)
F Riley Kidney (to AHL Laval)
D Darick Louis-Jean (to AHL Laval)
G Kevin Mandolese (to AHL Laval)
D Charles Martin (to AHL Laval)
F Filip Mesar (to AHL Laval)
F Israel Mianscum (to AHL Laval)
D Ryan O’Rourke (to AHL Laval)
D Tobie Paquette-Bisson (to AHL Laval)
F Vinzenz Rohrer (to Zurich, NL)
F Joshua Roy (to AHL Laval)
F Xavier Simoneau (to AHL Laval)
F Tyler Thorpe (to AHL Laval)
F Luke Tuch (to AHL Laval)
D Wyatte Wylie (to AHL Laval)

San Jose Sharks (per team announcement)

F Carson Wetsch (to WHL Kelowna)
D Haoxi (Simon) Wang (to OHL Oshawa)

St. Louis Blues (per team announcement)

F Nikita Alexandrov (to AHL Springfield)
F Samuel Bitten (to AHL Springfield)
F Hugh McGing (to AHL Springfield)
F Matthew Peca (to AHL Springfield)
F Juraj Pekarcik (to AHL Springfield)
F Dylan Peterson (to AHL Springfield)
F Simon Robertsson (to AHL Springfield)
F Sam Stange (to AHL Springfield)
F Jakub Stancl (to AHL Springfield)
F Nikita Susev (to AHL Springfield)
F Chris Wagner (to AHL Springfield)
D Michael Buchinger (to AHL Springfield)
D Quinton Burns (to AHL Springfield)
D Marc-Andre Gaudet (to AHL Springfield)
D Samuel Johannesson (to AHL Springfield)
D Anthony Kehrer (to AHL Springfield)
G Will Cranley (to AHL Springfield)
G Vadim Zherenko (to AHL Springfield)
F Justin Carbonneau (to QMJHL Blainville)
D Adam Jiricek (to OHL Brantford)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per team announcement)

F Tristan Allard (to AHL Syracuse)
F Cooper Flinton (to AHL Syracuse)
F Brendan Furry (to AHL Syracuse)
F Ethan Gauthier (to AHL Syracuse)
F Niko Huuhtanen (to AHL Syracuse)
F Spencer Kersten (to AHL Syracuse)
F Connor Kurth (to AHL Syracuse)
F Lucas Mercuri (to AHL Syracuse)
F Reece Newkirk (to AHL Syracuse)
F Milo Roelens (to AHL Syracuse)
F Gabriel Szturc (to AHL Syracuse)
D Charle-Edouard D’Astous (to AHL Syracuse)
D Dyllan Gill (to AHL Syracuse)
D Maxim Groshev (to AHL Syracuse)
D Chris Harpur (to AHL Syracuse)
D Tommy Miller (to AHL Syracuse)
D Matteo Petroniro (to AHL Syracuse)
G Harrison Meneghin (to AHL Syracuse)
G Ryan Fanti (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Syracuse)
F Scott Sabourin (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Syracuse)
D Steven Santini (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Syracuse)
D Simon Lundmark (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Syracuse)

Toronto Maple Leafs (per team announcement)

F Miroslav Holinka (to WHL Edmonton)

Winnipeg Jets (per announcement from AHL Manitoba)

D Dylan Anhorn (released from PTO to AHL Manitoba)
F Jacob Julien (to AHL Manitoba)
G Isaac Poulter (to AHL Manitoba)
F Fabian Wagner (to AHL Manitoba)

Canadiens’ David Reinbacher Suffers Broken Hand

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Top Canadiens defense prospect David Reinbacher sustained a broken metacarpal bone in his hand in last night’s exhibition loss to the Maple Leafs and will miss the next four weeks, according to a team announcement.

The 2023 No. 5 overall pick has now sustained a significant injury in back-to-back preseasons, both in games against Toronto. Last year, it was a left knee injury that ate up more than half his season. He didn’t make his debut for AHL Laval until February, with his injury essentially removing any chance he had of making his NHL debut.

The shorter return timeline this time around means it won’t be as developmentally disruptive for Reinbacher, but it does zero his chances of breaking camp with the club. The righty faced an uphill battle anyway with Alexandre Carrier and Noah Dobson ahead of him on the depth chart and Lane Hutson shifting to his offside on a pairing with Kaiden Guhle, but he’s looked strong in limited AHL action thus far and might have been worth a look. Instead, he’ll start the year on season-opening IR with a $0 cap hit since he didn’t appear in an NHL game last year until he’s cleared to play and can be reassigned to Laval – unless there’s an unexpected opening on the NHL roster in late October.

Reinbacher’s injury troubles mean he only has 21 AHL games to his name over the past two seasons. He’s got a 4-6–10 scoring line in them with a +11 rating, though, and he added six points in 13 Calder Cup Playoff games last season.

In the interim, the Canadiens will be down their only realistic right-shot recall option. They’re extremely thin organizationally on that side. Aside from Carrier and Dobson, career AHLer Nathan Clurman is the only healthy natural righty under contract.

Noah Dobson Pulled From Preseason Contest

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Things are not going well for the Montreal Canadiens’ defense in their preseason contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening. After failing to appear on the bench for the third period of tonight’s game, the Canadiens announced that recently acquired Noah Dobson will not return, without specifying any injuries.

In all fairness, there were no specific injuries alluded to in any of the updates, and teams are quicker to pull players in preseason due to precautionary reasons. Still, it is cause for some concern as Montreal ramps up for the 2025-26 campaign. Despite earning a playoff spot last season, the Canadiens learned there’s little wiggle room in postseason eligibility in the Atlantic Division. Fortunately, even if there are mild injury concerns to start the new season, the Canadiens only have two matchups against postseason teams from a year ago in October.

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Canadiens Notes: Kahkonen, Xhekaj, Right Wing

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When the Montreal Canadiens signed veteran netminder Kaapo Kahkonen to a one-year, $1.15MM contract this summer, it was speculated by some that he could be viewed as a leading contender for the role of backup goalie behind entrenched starter Sam Montembeault. Today, The Athletic’s Arpon Basu reported that the competition for the job of No. 2 netminder is Jakub Dobes’ “job to lose instead of a real battle.” Basu also added that it appears the Canadiens’ plan in net has been “to have Kahkonen help mentor Jacob Fowler in Laval.”

Fowler, of course, is the Canadiens’ top goaltending prospect and a player widely seen as one of the top goalie prospects in the entire sport. Although Kahkonen is subject to waivers, Basu noted that the player’s $1.15MM cap hit, the maximum allowable value that a team can “bury” in the AHL without any residual cap hit applied to its NHL books, was likely signed to dissuade teams from claiming Kahkonen. The 29-year-old has played in 140 career NHL games and has an .898 save percentage. The Canadiens’ likely backup per today’s report, Dobes, broke into the NHL last season and ended up posting a .909 save percentage across 16 games played.

Some other notes from training camp in Montreal:

  • One of the emerging storylines in Canadiens camp has been the apparent growth of defenseman Arber Xhekaj, as was reported by Katherine Harvey-Pinard of La Presse. Basu echoed that sentiment in his own reporting, calling Xhekaj “outstanding” so far in camp, a performance that has given him a leg up to win a spot in the club’s opening-night lineup. With the way the Canadiens’ defense is constructed at this early stage of the preseason, it appears Xhekaj is competing against Jayden Struble, a fellow young bruising defenseman, to be the partner of Alexandre Carrier on the club’s third pairing. While there’s still a ways to go until these decisions get finalized, it appears Xhekaj has taken a strong early lead in the race for an opening-night lineup spot.
  • Basu identified the competition to be the third winger on a line with Alex Newhook and Zachary Bolduc as the “primary battle” to watch at this stage of training camp. 2021 fifth-rounder Joshua Roy skated on that line Sunday, while Owen Beck began camp in that spot. Both players are competing against veterans Sammy Blais and Joe Veleno for that lineup spot, while Basu also named 2022 third-rounder Vinzenz Rohrer as a dark-horse option. Rohrer has reportedly made a strong impression in training camp, but ultimately would need to be loaned back to Switzerland’s ZSC Lions should he fail to earn a job on Montreal’s season-opening roster.

Latest On Canadiens' Defense Plans

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The Montreal Canadiens made one of the offseason’s biggest trades when they acquired top-pairing blueliner Noah Dobson in a trade with the New York Islanders. After the deal, most had pencilled in Kaiden Guhle as Dobson’s likely partner, often citing Guhle’s defensive reliability as a factor that would hypothetically allow Dobson to play a more aggressive offensive style, perhaps one that would help him reach the scoring heights he hit in 2023-24, when he notched 70 points. Today, The Athletic’s Arpon Basu reported that Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis appears likely to stick with his current training camp defense pairings at least until he can see how they fare against regular season competition, which would mean Dobson is slated to begin the season paired not with Guhle, but instead veteran Mike Matheson.

The move would allow Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson to remain paired with Guhle, the player he finished 2024-25 paired with. The idea of pairing Matheson with Dobson is one that has merit, even though Matheson can sometimes garner harsh criticism from Canadiens fans. Although he can sometimes be mistake-prone, Matheson has shown a real, highly valuable ability to log heavy minutes: he averaged 25:05 time-on-ice per game in 2024-25, despite losing his role as first-unit power play quarterback to Hutson. While he’s not as highly regarded as a defensive force compared to Guhle, he is the Canadiens’ most experienced defenseman, so it’s not unreasonable for St. Louis to expect Matheson to be a solid partner to help Dobson settle in with his new team.

Kirby Dach To Start As Second-Line Center

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  • Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis told the media today, including TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie, that he currently views Kirby Dach as the club’s second-line center behind captain Nick Suzuki. Dach had an impressive first season in Montreal, scoring 38 points in 58 games. But injuries have been a persistent issue for Dach, even including 2022-23, and as a result it would be fair to question whether Dach has the ability – and availability – to stick in such an important lineup spot. But Dach, the 2018 third-overall pick, certainly possesses the natural ability and potential to do it.

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