Kent Hughes and the Canadiens may have just dodged a familiar kind of headache.
Anthony Mantha is off the board, and the New Jersey Devils have now confirmed a two-year deal for the winger at $4.75 million per season. That was enough to leave plenty of Habs fans disappointed, especially with Montreal looking for help on the wing. But the Canadiens clearly saw more than the obvious upside.
Mantha’s appeal was easy to understand. He brings size at 6-foot-5, and he’s coming off a 64-point season.
On paper, that checks a lot of boxes for a team trying to add a quality winger. The problem is everything that comes with it.
His injury history has been a real concern for years, and that’s where the Canadiens’ thinking seems to have shifted. Eric Engels pointed to that on the Sick Podcast, and it lines up with how Montreal handled the situation. The club had already lived through the Patrik Laine experience, and that shadow clearly mattered.
Laine’s time in Montreal became messy once he got hurt, and even after he was healthy again, he couldn’t carve out a consistent role in the lineup. That turned into a distraction late last season, and it’s exactly the kind of situation Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton appear to have wanted to avoid.
If Mantha had been open to a one-year deal because he genuinely wanted to come to Montreal, the outcome might have been different. Instead, he’s headed to New Jersey, and the Canadiens are left with the sense that passing may have been the smarter move.
Good for Mantha, though.
In Other News...
John Marinos 8-Year Utah Deal Just Fueled Canadiens Blue Line Debate
John Marinos new eight-year extension in Utah adds another data point to the ongoing blue-line salary conversation around Montreal. At $6.75 million per season, the deal sits in the same neighborhood as several Canadiens defensemen and helps frame how different teams are valuing role, production and upside on the back end. Marinos contract also removes one more notable name from next summers unrestricted free agent market, narrowing the pool for clubs still looking for help on defense.
For Montreal, the comparison is especially useful because Kent Hughes has assembled a defense corps with a wide range of price points and responsibilities. Kaiden Guhle, Mike Matheson, Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson all occupy different tiers, and Marinos number only sharpens the debate over where the sweet spot really is for roster construction. It is the kind of contract that can make a teams own blue line look either disciplined or expensive, depending on how much value it gets from each role. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Add A Young Forward Who Could Climb Faster Than Expected
The Laval Rocket have added another young forward to their pipeline, giving a 23-year-old left winger a fresh chance to push his way into the American Hockey League picture. The move fits the kind of low-risk, upside-minded depth signing that can matter for a Canadiens organization always looking for players who can grow into larger roles if their development keeps moving in the right direction.
He already has a bit of familiarity with the Rocket after appearing in three games with the club last season, and his path has taken him through the QMJHL and ECHL before this latest step. A one-year two-way deal for the 2026-27 season gives him a clear runway to try to establish himself in Laval, with the next stretch of his career likely to determine how quickly he can climb from organizational depth to something more. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens May Finally Have A Real Answer At Center
The Canadiens have spent plenty of time looking for help down the middle, and the search keeps circling back to the same basic need: a center who can stabilize the second line without forcing the front office into a reckless overpay. Morgan Frost has emerged as an intriguing name in that conversation, with his contract viewed as manageable and the acquisition price expected to stay within reason, which matters for a team trying to improve without emptying the cupboard.
Frosts profile also fits the kind of move Montreal has been exploring, since he brings recent production and enough offensive touch to at least make the idea worth serious discussion. The question now is whether the Canadiens can turn interest into something more concrete while they keep sorting out the long-term picture at center, including the possibility of waiting on Michael Hage as part of the bigger plan. [Read more 🡒]