The Montreal Canadiens have kept things relatively quiet this offseason, but that calm could be about to give way. With training camp drawing closer, pressure is building around the league for teams to settle unresolved situations, and that may open a door for Kent Hughes.
If the Canadiens want to make a move, there are still a handful of names worth watching. Some are long shots.
One or two would cost a fortune. But each one would address a different need if Montreal decides to push harder before camp opens.
Dylan Larkin is the kind of center who would fit almost anywhere, and he would give Montreal a real boost on the second line. The problem is getting from theory to reality.
Larkin has a no-movement clause and controls where he goes, and Montreal is not on his small list. Even if that changed, the Red Wings are without a general manager after Steve Yzerman stepped down, which makes it difficult to picture them moving one of their top players right before a new GM is in place.
He belongs on the list, but he does not look like a real possibility right now.
Cutter Gauthier is another name that feels difficult, though not impossible enough to ignore. The Ducks are in a tricky spot after the Flyers signed Leo Carlsson to an offer sheet, and Gauthier still needs a new contract that probably comes in with an AAV over $15 million.
Because he remains a restricted free agent, he cannot report to Anaheim’s training camp without a deal. That creates a situation the Ducks may have to address quickly, and it could make them more willing to listen than they were a few months ago.
For Montreal, Gauthier would be a major upgrade on the wing in the top six. He is 22 and coming off a 41-goal season, but any deal would be expensive - more expensive than the fifth overall pick the Flyers wanted for him in 2024, a price the Canadiens passed on.
Shane Wright is the kind of gamble Montreal should at least think about. He requested a trade earlier this summer, and his early NHL track record with Seattle has not matched his draft billing.
Wright posted 44 points in 2024-25, then only 27 in 2025-26. Still, the Canadiens could see a path where a stronger supporting cast helps unlock more from him.
He would not block Michael Hage, who is viewed as Montreal’s future 2C, because Wright would function more like a bridge. He is in the final year of his deal and will be a restricted free agent after the season.
If it works, Montreal gets a useful player. If it does not, the club can move on and let Hage take over.
Rasmus Ristolainen brings a different kind of appeal. Montreal may look crowded on defense, but the issue is more specific: the Canadiens have too many left-handed defensemen.
Ristolainen, a bigger right-shot option, could play on any pair and help bring some balance to the blue line. The concern is durability.
Injuries have followed him throughout his career, and over the last seven seasons he has reached 70 games in a season only once, while finishing at 50 or fewer three times. If Montreal were to move Arber Xhekaj, that could clear a path for a player like Ristolainen.
The biggest splash would be Kirill Marchenko, and he is the name that probably excites fans the most. He checks nearly every box Montreal would want: immediate help, long-term fit, and a profile that matches the vision Kent Hughes appears to have for the roster.
Marchenko has 102 goals and 106 assists in 292 games with Columbus, and at 25 he would be a natural fit on the second line alongside Ivan Demidov and whichever center ends up there. Recent comments from Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell suggest Columbus does not want to move him, but would consider it for the right offer.
That puts Montreal in a familiar spot: the kind of deal that would hurt to make, but might be worth the pain.
In Other News...
Canadiens Suddenly Face A Sam Montembeault Decision They Didn't Expect
Samuel Montembeaults place in Montreal has shifted since Jakub Dobes arrived, but the bigger issue now is less about the depth chart and more about timing. Once the Canadiens primary goaltender, Montembeault is entering a contract year, which naturally puts his future under a different kind of scrutiny than it did a season ago.
The discussion around him has picked up because of turbulence elsewhere in the goalie market, with Connor Hellebuycks trade request in Winnipeg potentially setting off a chain reaction. If that happens, Montreal could be drawn into movement it did not plan on, and Montembeault may wind up at the center of a decision the Canadiens never expected to confront this soon. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Still Havent Solved Their Top Six Problem
The Canadiens ongoing search for help in the top six got another dose of what-ifs this week when Luke Evangelista changed hands in a deal that sent him from Nashville to New Jersey. For Montreal fans, the move immediately landed as more than a routine transaction, because Evangelista had the kind of profile the Canadiens have been trying to find: young enough to fit the timeline, productive enough to matter right away, and versatile enough to look like a plausible answer in a key scoring role.
Evangelistas name has hovered around the Canadiens wish list for a while, and the timing only sharpened the discussion as Montreal continues to work through a gap it has not yet solved. He is coming off a career-best season and had been seen as one of the players who checked several of the boxes the Canadiens want to fill, which is exactly why this latest move stings a little more than most. For a team still trying to round out its forward group, it is another reminder that the market keeps moving while the fit in Montreal remains unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Real Second Center Question To Answer
A suddenly familiar name has entered the Canadiens conversation at center, and it comes from outside their own locker room. Dylan Larkin, who is under contract with the Red Wings for five more years, has been tied to Montreal by TSNs Bryan Hayes as a possible fit for a club that could use more depth down the middle. The appeal is easy to see from the Canadiens side, especially with Larkins friendship with Cole Caufield adding a layer of intrigue to any theoretical matchup.
Still, this is where the idea gets complicated. Larkins no-trade clause gives him control over where anything goes next, and a deal would only happen if he decides Montreal is a place he wants to be. For now, the Canadiens have a real second-center question to answer, but the answer may depend on whether the player at the center of the speculation even sees Montreal as a destination. [Read more 🡒]