Josh Anderson is wasting no time making his case in Montreal.
Through seven games, the Canadiens winger has already become one of the team’s most useful players, and not just because of the box score. He has four goals and six points, good for third on the club behind only Lane Hutson and captain Nick Suzuki. His four goals also tie Suzuki for the team lead, and his plus-4 rating leads Montreal as well.
That kind of start is eye-catching for any forward. For Anderson, it only sharpens the conversation about what comes next.
The 32-year-old is heading toward unrestricted free agency next summer, and if this opening stretch is any indication, the Canadiens may have a tougher time than expected replacing what he brings. The offense is part of it, sure.
But the bigger point is how often he shows up as a force shift after shift. Anderson has been noticeable nearly every time he steps on the ice, using his speed, physicality, and direct attack style to keep opponents under pressure.
That matters because his value goes far beyond finishing chances. At 6-foot-3, Anderson brings a blend of size, speed, and physical edge that is hard to duplicate on this roster.
He drives to the net, finishes checks, and hounds puck carriers on the forecheck. For a Canadiens group built around skill and quickness, that kind of presence adds a different layer.
Montreal’s younger core - Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, and Hutson - gives the team plenty of offensive talent. Anderson gives it something else. He supplies the bruising, hard-driving element that can become even more important when the games tighten up and the playoffs arrive.
None of that means the Canadiens should rush into a major commitment. Anderson’s current $5.5 million annual salary has not always matched his production during his time in Montreal, and his career has included stretches where the offense dried up. He is also 32, which makes a long-term deal a bad fit.
But a shorter agreement? That’s a different story.
Anderson is in the final season of his seven-year, $38.5 million contract, and a two- or three-year extension at a reasonable number would make sense for both sides. He has shown he can still provide value in all the ways Montreal needs most: speed, size, physicality, experience, leadership, and intensity in key moments.
The Canadiens are building around a young core, but contenders need the right veterans around them too. Anderson fits that mold. General manager Kent Hughes should keep that in mind, because letting him walk next summer would leave a hole that won’t be easy to fill.
In Other News...
Dylan Larkin To Montreal May Hinge On More Than Hockey
Speculation around Dylan Larkin and the Canadiens has been simmering for a while, but the conversation around a possible move to Montreal clearly stretches beyond the usual hockey fit. The Detroit captain is under contract through 2031 and has opened this season with three points in six games, so any talk of him changing teams is already difficult enough to sort through on the ice alone.
What makes the Montreal angle more complicated is the personal side, which has a way of mattering in major trade chatter even when no one says it out loud. Larkin married Kenzy Wolfe in August 2023, and his comfort level off the ice is part of the backdrop here, along with the reality that there are still no confirmed details linking him to a move. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens May Have Found A Late-Round Surprise In Laval
A seventh-round pick usually arrives with modest expectations, but Luke Mittelstadt is forcing the Canadiens to take a longer look. The 2023 selection, once viewed more as a steady defensive piece after a quiet NCAA scoring profile, has found an early groove in Laval and has become one of the biggest reasons the Rocket have opened the season so well.
Mittelstadts usage tells part of the story, with the 24-year-old handling a larger offensive load than anyone would have predicted when he was drafted. He has settled onto Lavals top defensive pairing and power play, and the production has followed, enough to spark real conversation about whether the Canadiens may have found more than organizational depth in a player who was supposed to be a long shot. [Read more 🡒]
Kent Hughes May Still Have A Clever Canadiens Forward Move Left
The Canadiens were at least doing homework on Rickard Rakell as part of a bigger October trade concept, and that alone says a lot about how Kent Hughes is still scanning for ways to sharpen Montreals forward mix. Elliotte Friedman reported the club explored Rakell in the framework of a move that was meant to help land Kirill Marchenko for Columbus, a reminder that the Canadiens are not just watching the market but trying to shape it.
Rakell still carries a $5 million cap hit, and his slow start has only added to the intrigue around what kind of return Pittsburgh might eventually consider. For Montreal, the appeal is obvious enough: if Hughes decides the fit still makes sense, Rakell could give the second line a different look even with the original deal structure gone, leaving open the possibility of a separate swing later on. [Read more 🡒]