The Montreal Canadiens appear to be shopping in the same lane they’ve been circling for a while: a big right-shot defenseman. According to Anthony Di Marco, two names sitting near the top of that list are Rasmus Ristolainen and Brandon Carlo.
That search comes with a wrinkle. Montreal’s blue line already has Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, and Mike Matheson leading the way, while Kaiden Guhle, Alexandre Carrier, and Jayden Struble give the group some real depth.
There have also been reports that the Canadiens are looking to move on from Arber Xhekaj, and multiple teams have shown interest in him. Montreal also recently signed Maksymilian Szuber to a new deal.
If the Canadiens chase Ristolainen, the price would not be light. Di Marco previously reported that the Flyers would want something comparable to what the Boston Bruins got for Carlo at the 2024 Trade Deadline: a first-round pick and top prospect Fraser Minten. That’s a hefty ask for a team that already has Dobson, Hutson, and Carrier on the right side.
Carlo, by comparison, looks like the cleaner fit from a cost standpoint. He was just dealt to the St.
Louis Blues for a pair of third-round picks, and if the season goes sideways, St. Louis could be in position to move him again at the deadline.
None of this means a deal is imminent. It does, though, fit the way Kent Hughes usually operates. He’s the kind of general manager who stays active, keeps calling, and keeps looking for a door to open.
Out in Los Angeles, the Kings made a different kind of statement about one of their icons. After more than 1,500 games over 20 seasons, Anze Kopitar was always going to have his number retired at Crypto.com Arena. On Aug. 7, the club added another layer: a bronze statue outside the building.
Kopitar will join Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, and Dustin Brown as Kings honored with statues. The arena already has plenty of basketball figures out front as well, including Kobe and Gianna Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, and others.
Kopitar has long carried the feel of a player who never quite got enough national shine for what he actually was. The Kings and their fans are making sure that doesn’t happen here.
Meanwhile, the Quinn Hughes situation is still unresolved, but it has moved forward. On the Aug. 6 episode of Worst Seats in the House, The Athletic’s Michael Russo said Hughes and Wild general manager Bill Guerin met in early June after Minnesota was knocked out by the Colorado Avalanche in the second round. Russo said Hughes told Guerin that he is interested in re-signing.
The two sides met again last week in Detroit, and the sense is that Hughes again made clear he wants to stay.
The length is the real tell. A short-term deal seems to be the direction, and three years looks like the sweet spot. Hughes’ brother, Jack Hughes, has three years left on his contract, and it would make sense for the two to try to align themselves for a future run at unrestricted free agency.
The family angle matters here, and Brady Tkachuk’s trade request from the Ottawa Senators is a useful reminder of how much it can matter. Tkachuk would only go to the Florida Panthers, and his brother being there was almost certainly the biggest reason.
For the Hughes brothers, the NHL side of that story is still unfinished. They’ve had success with Team USA at the Olympics, but the New Jersey Devils haven’t broken through the way many expected. That may make Quinn less eager to go there.
From Minnesota’s side, the pitch is obvious. The Wild can offer Jack Hughes a top-center role, the chance to play with Quinn, and a team that has been a perennial playoff presence even without elite center depth.
In Other News...
Anze Kopitar Just Took His Place Among Kings Legends
Anze Kopitars run in Los Angeles has reached the point where the Kings are preparing to honor him in the rarest way possible. On February 24, 2027, the team will retire his No. 11 jersey and unveil a statue of him outside Crypto.com Arena, a fitting next step for a player who spent 20 seasons in black and silver and left his mark across the franchise record book.
Kopitar finishes his Kings career as the clubs all-time leader in games played, points and assists, with two Stanley Cup titles to his name as well. The statue will place him alongside Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille and Dustin Brown outside the arena, a list that says as much about his place in team history as any number ever could. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Training Camp Battle Could Force A Rookie Onto Opening Night Roster
Training camp this fall will give Peter Laviolette his first real look at a Kings roster with some fresh competition baked in, and the rookie group is part of what makes the picture interesting. Los Angeles has several young players pushing for openings, with Jared Wright, Angus Booth and Martin Chromiak among the names drawing the most attention because of their previous NHL exposure and the progress they have made in the system.
Chromiak, in particular, adds another layer to the mix after the Kings signed him to a one-year, two-way contract extension for the 2026-27 season. Even with that kind of organizational commitment, nothing is guaranteed once camp opens, and the battle for a spot on opening night could come down to which young player proves he can make the cleanest case in a new coach's first camp. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Offseason Overhaul Looks Promising But One Pressure Point Remains
The Kings spent the offseason making themselves look a little more complete, with a new coach in Peter Laviolette and veteran additions like Mats Zuccarello and Erik Haula giving the forward group a different look. Around the league, that was enough to draw some positive reviews, and Sportsnet even handed Los Angeles a respectable mark for the summer work, pointing to a deeper, more balanced roster and the possibility of a healthier, full-season impact from Artemi Panarin if things break right in the right places.
Even with that optimism, the biggest questions in Los Angeles have not gone away. The front office still has not truly addressed the long-term hole left by Anze Kopitar, and the blue line could also use a puck-moving defenseman to help modernize the attack from the back end. Until those issues are solved, the Kings are still stuck with the same larger challenge that has followed them for years, which is figuring out how to get past the first playoff round and turn a promising offseason into something more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]