The Anaheim Ducks have handed Kent Hughes a very different kind of summer headache than the one Montreal has been living through.
Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek is now staring at a tricky cap situation after Leo Carlsson signed an $18 million offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers and Verbeek chose to match it. That move left Carlsson with an $18 million cap hit, and it also pushed Verbeek into a tougher spot with another important restricted free agent still unresolved: Cutter Gauthier.
Gauthier, who scored 41 goals last season, has reportedly turned down a $13 million-a-year offer from the Ducks. Anaheim has just over $9 million in cap space, so if Verbeek wants to keep him, he’ll have to find a way to create room. That matters because the Ducks traded for Gauthier just two years ago, sending Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick the other way.
For Montreal, the question is whether this kind of pressure point should tempt Hughes to act. If the Canadiens are only looking for a stopgap at second-line center until Michael Hage is ready, the argument is that they might be better off giving that role to someone who can grow with the team instead of bringing in a short-term fix.
Oliver Kapanen fits that idea. He could get more reps at second-line center, handle tougher matchups, and then slide down the depth chart once Hage is ready. The benefit, in that view, is that Kapanen would come out of the experience better prepared for the role he’s likely to play later.
Hughes, though, has made it clear he’s not going to force a move just to satisfy impatience. The Canadiens seem committed to a specific plan, and if they can’t find the right answer through a trade or free agency, they’ll keep leaning on internal development.
That said, the pressure won’t disappear forever. At some point, the clock on Nick Suzuki’s contract will start to feel louder, and the urgency to use the money left on the table by Hughes’ own players will only grow. But for now, Montreal is not there yet.
In Other News...
Canadiens Still Have One Roster Question Around Xhekaj And Bolduc
Geoff Molson sounded upbeat in a recent interview about where the Canadiens stand after last season, saying he was satisfied with the teams performance and encouraged by the way the roster is developing. He also made clear that Arber Xhekaj and Zach Bolduc remain important pieces in the organizations plans, a notable point with training camp approaching and Montreal still sorting through the edges of its depth chart.
The bigger question is how both players fit once the dust settles. Xhekajs usage has not fully settled into a defined role, and Bolduc remains unsigned after finishing the playoffs on the fourth line, leaving Montreal with one of those familiar late-summer roster puzzles that can shape how a team starts the year. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Roster Puzzle Puts Some Young Pieces In Play
The Canadiens search for help on the right side of their defense has turned into a roster puzzle with real long-term stakes. With future salary-cap room to work with, the front office can afford to think beyond a quick fix, and that has kept attention on a possible move for Zach Whitecloud as Montreal looks to balance its blue line while also adding more size and physicality up front.
What makes the conversation more interesting is the kind of young talent that could be pulled into the discussion if the Canadiens decide to press ahead. Montreal has prospects it would prefer not to move lightly, but it also has to weigh the value of future flexibility against the appeal of helping the current roster now. For the moment, it is still speculation and planning more than action, but the kind of move the Canadiens are considering could reshape more than one part of the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens May Go Only As Far As Ivan Demidov Takes Them
Montreal did not make many sweeping changes this offseason, choosing instead to tinker around the edges while letting the roster largely carry over. The most notable departures were Brendan Gallagher and Joe Veleno, and the additions were mostly depth pieces aimed at the AHL side, which leaves the Canadiens leaning on internal growth more than outside fixes.
Ivan Demidov is at the center of that bet after a rookie season that put him firmly on the leagues radar and left him second in Calder Trophy voting. He showed plenty of upside, but he also cooled late, and Montreals outlook now hinges on whether he can turn that promise into steadier second-year production. For a team that did not do much to change its ceiling, his next step may end up setting the tone. [Read more 🡒]