The Canadiens are still hunting for help in their top six, and the Ducks may have just become a team worth calling.
Anaheim’s situation changed fast after the Flyers stunned the league last week with a massive offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, one carrying an AAV of $18 million. The Ducks have seven days from that moment to decide whether to match, and the delay suggests they’re sorting through more than one possible path.
They can fit the deal under the cap, but only barely. Matching would leave them with just $9 million in space, and Cutter Gauthier still needs a new contract. That kind of squeeze could force Anaheim to move a player or two, which is where Montreal comes in.
For the Canadiens, the fit is obvious: they still need a top-six forward, and Anaheim has options that could help. Of that group, Mikael Granlund stands out as the cleanest target.
Granlund signed a three-year, $21 million deal last offseason and put up 41 points in 58 games. He’s older, which matters for Montreal because he wouldn’t block Michael Hage when he eventually makes the jump to the NHL. He also has two years left on his contract, plus a 15-team no-trade clause that could complicate things if Montreal is on the list.
There’s another layer here for the Canadiens as they look ahead. Granlund would give them some stability at the position going into 2027-28, with Phillip Danault set to become an unrestricted free agent and Oliver Kapanen due to hit restricted free agency.
And because Anaheim’s main goal would be creating cap space, Montreal wouldn’t necessarily need to pay a massive price to make something happen. It might not be the headline-grabbing swing some fans want, but Granlund would still be a clear upgrade on the second line and could give Ivan Demidov a proven center to skate with this season.
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Penguins Fans Wont Love This Familiar Top Six Trade Rumor
The Canadiens are still sorting through two separate fronts as the offseason moves along, and both speak to how they want to shape the roster around their young core. Jim Biringer of NHLRumors.com said Montreal has been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Penguins forward Bryan Rust, a reminder that the club is still looking for help up front while weighing how aggressive it wants to be in the market.
At the same time, Kirby Dachs contract situation remains unresolved, with Montreal viewing him as part of its future while trying to land on a deal that fits its plans before the arbitration hearing. The ongoing ations add another layer to a summer that already has the Canadiens balancing immediate roster needs against longer-term flexibility, and it is not hard to see why this one could keep evolving before anything is settled. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Dach Situation Suddenly Looks Like A Big Win For Canadiens
Kirby Dachs contract situation has quietly turned into one of those small offseason developments that can matter more than it first appears. After a season in which he was limited to 37 regular-season games and finished with 15 points, the Canadiens have some leverage in the talks, and the latest read is that the two sides are trying to find common ground before things get any messier.
For Montreal, the appeal is obvious: avoid arbitration, settle the file, and move on without dragging the matter deeper into the summer. Dach may be willing to take a salary below $4 million if it comes with the security of a one-way deal, but the details still have to line up, and until they do, there is at least some room for the situation to shift again. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Just Added Another Name To A Crowded Bottom Six Battle
The Canadiens have added another forward to the mix, bringing in Brett Berard on a one-year, two-way deal for the 2026-27 season. Montreal already has plenty of bodies competing for bottom-six work, and Berard arrives with the kind of resume that keeps a player in that conversation: NHL experience, AHL time, and a recent stop in New York that showed both his upside and his need to keep pushing.
Berard also came to Montreal in a trade that sent defensive prospect William Trudeau to the Rangers, so this was more than a simple depth signing. The next question is where he fits once the season gets here, because the Canadiens can stash him in Laval with the Rocket or let him battle for a fourth-line opening if he makes enough noise in camp. [Read more 🡒]