The Montreal Canadiens have bigger ambitions this season, and that puts plenty of eyes on the team’s core. Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield and Ivan Demidov are all expected to drive the push, but there’s another layer of pressure hanging over the roster: a handful of players are in contract years and trying to prove they belong in Montreal beyond this season.
For Josh Anderson, the situation has shifted from long-term hope to short-term evaluation. Montreal brought him in from the Columbus Blue Jackets before the 2020-21 season and quickly locked him up with a seven-year deal.
He opened that first season strong, scoring 17 goals in 52 games, but he hasn’t consistently matched that level since. Anderson did score 21 goals in 2022-23, though he needed 69 games to get there, and over the past three seasons he has totaled 38 goals combined.
At 32, he may no longer be the top-line answer the Canadiens once pictured, but he still fills a role as a physical bottom-six forward. If he delivers in that lane again, Montreal could consider bringing him back on a short-term deal.
Kirby Dach is facing a different kind of pressure. His biggest job is simple: stay on the ice.
Injuries have followed the former third overall pick, and after the Canadiens agreed to a one-year deal with him this summer, the clock is ticking on his fifth season in Montreal. Over the past four seasons, Dach has never reached more than 58 games in a year, and he has missed 53% of regular-season games in that span.
Montreal also has uncertainty at second-line center, which gives Dach a real opening in training camp. He started last season fast, with five goals and two assists in his first 12 games, and if he can do that while staying healthy, he could set himself up for a major payday in free agency.
Then there’s Alexandre Carrier, whose future in Montreal already feels very much up in the air. The Canadiens acquired him during the 2024-25 season, and with the depth they have on defense, this may be his only year in town.
Last season he played 73 games, scored seven goals, added 15 assists and finished at +2 while logging about 19 minutes per night. He spent most of his time with either Lane Hutson or Arber Xhekaj, and the numbers favored Carrier and Hutson together with a Corsi For percentage of 51.31.
Even so, Hutson posted better results with Noah Dobson and even Jayden Struble in that category.
Carrier now heads into camp with no clear guarantee of where he fits or who he’ll play with. David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom are pushing for spots, and if Arber Xhekaj is brought back, the competition only gets tighter.
That leaves Carrier with a straightforward task: earn a regular role and keep it. If he does, he gives himself a chance at another long-term contract next summer.
Whether any of these three are still in Montreal after this season is unclear. What isn’t unclear is that a strong year would go a long way toward helping each of them in free agency.
In Other News...
Canadiens Just Settled One Summer Decision Fans Were Watching
A busy summer in Montreal took another turn when the Canadiens locked up Zachary Bolduc on a four-year deal worth $4.2 million, according to Elliotte Friedman. Bolduc arrived in last offseasons trade and quickly gave the organization enough reason to keep him in the fold, adding to a roster that has already seen Chris Kreider come aboard as part of an active stretch of team-building.
The move clears one item off the Canadiens to-do list, even as another remains unresolved. Restricted free agent Arber Xhekaj is still without a contract, leaving at least one more summer decision hanging over the club as it tries to sort out the next layer of its depth and identity. [Read more 🡒]
Kent Hughes Just Won Big In The Chris Kreider Sweepstakes
Chris Kreiders path to Montreal opened up because Anaheim was not willing to pay the price some teams were seeking to absorb his contract. Elliotte Friedman said on his 32 Thoughts podcast that interest in taking on the deal came with a hefty ask, with clubs seeking first- or second-round draft compensation from the Ducks before they would step in.
Pat Verbeek would not attach that kind of asset to move the money, and the Ducks instead terminated the deal. That left Kent Hughes and the Canadiens in position to sign Kreider as a free agent without surrendering anything in return, a tidy bit of business for Montreal in a market where cap space and draft capital usually come at a premium. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Kreider Changes Everything About How The Canadiens Are Viewed
Chris Kreiders arrival gives Montreal a different kind of weight entering the season, not just because he brings playoff mileage, but because he clearly views this group through contenders eyes. After leaving the Anaheim Ducks, he landed with the Canadiens on a one-year contract and instantly changed the way the organization is being discussed around the league, with his experience and track record adding a layer of credibility to a team trying to reestablish itself among the Easts better clubs.
The surprise is as important as the signing itself. Kreider had been tied more often to Boston and Philadelphia, so Montreal was not the destination many expected, especially for a player with his background and the kind of market interest he generated. Instead, the Canadiens got the player who believes they can chase a Stanley Cup, and that alone says something about how far this roster has come and how it may be viewed going forward. [Read more 🡒]