A month ago, the Canadiens were already being linked to a possible fix for the right side of their blue line, and that conversation hasn’t gone away. The name at the center of it remains Zach Whitecloud, with the idea being that Montreal needs help on the right side sooner rather than later.
That was the backdrop for Grant McCagg’s latest suggestion on his Habscast podcast on Saturday night. He thinks Whitecloud would make sense for the Habs, but he also floated a bigger swing: Montreal sending Adam Engstrom and Alexander Zharovsky to the Flames as part of a package.
It’s the kind of proposal that will get people talking, and not always politely. But there is a clear line of reasoning behind it.
Engstrom is widely viewed as close to NHL-ready, including by former Laval Rocket coach Pascal Vincent, yet McCagg’s point is that he doesn’t really fill the exact need Montreal has. He can play the right side, and he moves well with a solid first pass, but the Canadiens are not short on that kind of defenseman.
What they need is a more dependable, sturdy defensive presence.
Zharovsky, meanwhile, brings a different kind of appeal. He can score eye-catching goals and make flashy passes, but Montreal already has plenty of skill in the system.
The club is looking for something different from its next top-six forward: size and physicality. The Canadiens have reportedly tried to land Matthew Knies from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets, which lines up with that priority.
Zharovsky may be 6-foot-2, but McCagg’s view is that he doesn’t play that style.
McCagg didn’t stop there. He suggested Calgary could also include Samuel Honzek in the deal.
Honzek was a first-round pick in 2023 and is listed at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds. He was on pace for a breakout year with the Flames last season before a freak collision with a teammate ended it with a season-ending shoulder injury.
Whether the Flames would actually entertain that kind of return is another matter. They have reportedly had interest in Canadiens RFA Arber Xhekaj in the past, and Montreal may have to decide whether he’s more useful as a piece in a deal than as a seventh defenseman.
He has traits the Canadiens need, but he’s not playing enough to make an impact. A sign-and-trade arrangement would likely be part of any move involving him.
If Montreal isn’t using Xhekaj, the logic goes, then he becomes a more attractive trade chip - and that could allow the Canadiens to hold onto Engstrom. There’s also a broader point here: the idea that Montreal should avoid overpaying is understandable, but waiting for the perfect fit doesn’t guarantee anything works quickly once the pieces are finally in place. Even established players need time to settle in, as Noah Dobson did this past season.
Nick Suzuki’s timeline adds another layer. He is halfway through his eight-year contract, which runs through the end of the 2029-30 season, and there’s no way to know what it will cost to keep him when that deal is up. Suzuki is in his prime now, which is why the argument is that Kent Hughes needs to start bringing in the missing pieces while there’s still room for everything to come together.
The cap picture also gives Montreal some breathing room down the road. According to Puckpedia, next offseason the Canadiens could have nearly $39.5 million available when the contracts of Josh Anderson, Phillip Danault, Kirby Dach, and Alexandre Carrier expire. That would put Hughes in position to chase bigger names to finish the job up front.
There’s also a roster-building angle on the back end. If Montreal were to land a reliable right-shot defenseman like Whitecloud now, it could give David Reinbacher another year in the AHL. Then, next season, with Carrier off the books, the Canadiens could have Dobson, Whitecloud, and Reinbacher on the right side, with Matheson, Hutson, and Guhle on the left.
By then, Michael Hage could also be in the mix after the current season, ideally with a Frozen Four title in hand. At that point, Montreal would still need a top-six forward and more size and grit in the bottom six.
Marchenko may be one name to watch again next offseason, since he will be an RFA and could be targeted with an offer sheet. Given the reported interest from Montreal, it would not be a surprise if the Canadiens explored that route if a trade with Columbus never comes together.
For now, the takeaway is simple. Hughes has spent the offseason looking for a top-six forward and hasn’t landed one yet.
If the Canadiens can instead pry a dependable veteran right-shot defenseman out of a trade partner, that would still be a worthwhile move. It may not generate the same buzz as a headline-grabbing forward, but it addresses a real problem.
And after last year’s playoffs made it painfully clear that Martin St-Louis didn’t have six defensemen he could trust, that kind of stability matters just as much as a dangerous top six.
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 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 🡒]
Lane Hutson Enters Year 3 With Canadiens Expectations Suddenly Much Higher
Lane Hutsons arrival in Montreal went from promising to overwhelming in a hurry. After setting franchise and league rookie records, then backing it up with a Calder Trophy and a stronger second season that included a solid playoff showing, the defenseman is no longer just a young blue-liner with upside. He is the kind of player the Canadiens are now building around, and the eight-year contract he signed only sharpened the expectations that come with his third NHL season.
The next step for Hutson is less about proving he belongs and more about how high his ceiling can climb in a bigger role. Montreal is looking for further growth at both ends of the ice, along with more time on the ice as his influence grows, and the details around his defense partners could matter as much as anything else. For a team still sorting out its roster around a rising star, that makes his year 3 one of the more important storylines on the board. [Read more 🡒]