The Canadiens have been quiet this offseason, and that leaves a familiar kind of opening in Montreal: a few roster spots that may have to be won from within. With Brendan Gallagher, Patrik Laine, and Joe Veleno gone, the club is heading toward next season with a roster that looks a lot like the one it already had. That means training camp matters a little more for the players trying to climb into the picture.
Three forwards stand out as candidates to do exactly that.
Brett Berard is one of them, and his path to Montreal comes with a fresh start attached. The Canadiens picked him up in a trade that sent defenceman William Trudeau to the New York Rangers.
Berard once looked like he was pushing toward a full-time NHL role after a 35-game stretch in which he put up six goals and four assists, but last season went the other way. He played 13 NHL games and didn’t record a point, spending most of the year with Hartford, the Rangers’ AHL affiliate.
That move to Montreal could be exactly what he needs. Gallagher’s departure creates a lane for a winger with a similar profile: small, energetic, and capable of fitting into the bottom six.
Berard has already shown he can produce in the AHL, and the Canadiens could use more offense from the lower half of the lineup. The question is whether he can carry that production into the NHL and make himself impossible to ignore in camp.
Owen Beck is in a different spot, but the opportunity is just as real. With Veleno now with the Rangers after signing there at the start of free agency, Beck suddenly has a clearer route to the Canadiens’ roster.
Montreal’s 2022 second-round pick has spent the last two seasons mostly bouncing in for call-ups when injuries opened a door. He played 12 games in 2024-25 and another 15 this past season, finishing with a goal and an assist in 27 games.
His position has mattered, too. As a centre, Beck was squeezed a bit last season, especially after the Canadiens acquired Phillip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings in December.
Now the Veleno departure changes the picture. Veleno gave Montreal faceoff help and a hard forecheck, and he wasn’t an every-night player until late in the season, when he settled in as a replacement for Gallagher during the final stretch.
Beck could follow a similar path: maybe on the roster, maybe not in the opening-night lineup, but in the mix and fighting for more as the season goes on.
Then there’s Florian Xhekaj, who brings a different kind of argument to camp. Montreal’s lineup still needs more sandpaper, and the organization’s draft approach reflected that when it selected Gleb Pugachyov with its first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Pugachyov is still a year or two away, though, while Xhekaj may be ready sooner.
The Canadiens’ 2023 fourth-round pick has built his game around physical play. He led the Laval Rocket in penalty minutes in each of the last two seasons, and he could be another player trying to claim the space Gallagher leaves behind.
Xhekaj was one of Montreal’s final cuts in training camp last year, so he arrives with a clear point to make. He’s not just a body, either.
As a rookie with the Rocket, he set a franchise record for goals by a rookie with 24. He also made his NHL debut last season, appearing in five games and picking up one assist.
Montreal’s need is pretty plain: more physicality, especially on offense. Xhekaj has a chance to show the team he can be part of that answer.
In Other News...
Canadiens Face A Tough Call On Two Veteran Forwards
Phillip Danault and Josh Anderson are both heading into the final year of their contracts, which puts the Canadiens in a familiar spot: weighing present value against the long view. Danault has been one of Montreals most useful all-around forwards since arriving, carving out a role as a penalty-kill and faceoff presence, while Anderson has given the club speed, size and a steady dose of physical edge since coming over from Columbus.
The tricky part is timing. Montreals center depth is getting more attention, and any decision on Danault could hinge on whether younger options are close enough to push for bigger minutes. Andersons case is different, but no less complicated, since his role has been tied closely to the penalty kill and his offensive ceiling in Montreal has remained a moving target as the team keeps trying to balance veteran reliability with the next wave of talent. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Fans Are Starting To Wonder About Kent Hughes Again
With the offseason still unfolding, the Canadiens are again being viewed as a team that could wait out the market before making its next move. Jim Biringer, speaking on TSN Radio, said Montreal has shown patience in past summers and expects management to be calculated rather than aggressive for the sake of activity, with any deal tied to the needs of the roster and the conditions around it. He also pointed out that the broader NHL landscape can shape what becomes available, especially when other clubs are squeezed by the cap.
For Montreal, that means the next step may not come quickly, even if fans are already scanning for signs of action from Kent Hughes. Biringer suggested the Canadiens are likely to do something later in the offseason, but the timing could be the sort that catches people off guard. If the right player becomes available from a cap-strapped team, the fit could make sense, but for now the picture remains open and the waiting game continues. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Just Landed In A Scoring Debate Fans Know Well
The Canadiens keep showing up in the kind of trade chatter that usually follows a team with cap room and a growing need to turn promise into production. According to David Pagnotta, Anaheim is looking to move a veteran forward and is even willing to attach a second-round pick to the deal, which is the sort of extra incentive that can make a player with a pricey contract suddenly feel a lot more realistic for a club like Montreal.
For the Canadiens, the appeal is obvious enough. The player in question has a track record of putting the puck in the net, even if the recent numbers have been more modest than his peak years, and his deal runs only through next summer. Montreal has been mentioned as a possible fit because it can absorb money and because its recent progress makes this the kind of swing a front office at least has to consider, even if the final price tag is still the part everyone is waiting to see. [Read more 🡒]