The Montreal Canadiens appear to be shopping in the same lane they’ve been circling for a while: a big right-shot defenseman. According to Anthony Di Marco, two names sitting near the top of that list are Rasmus Ristolainen and Brandon Carlo.
That search comes with a wrinkle. Montreal’s blue line already has Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, and Mike Matheson leading the way, while Kaiden Guhle, Alexandre Carrier, and Jayden Struble give the group some real depth.
There have also been reports that the Canadiens are looking to move on from Arber Xhekaj, and multiple teams have shown interest in him. Montreal also recently signed Maksymilian Szuber to a new deal.
If the Canadiens chase Ristolainen, the price would not be light. Di Marco previously reported that the Flyers would want something comparable to what the Boston Bruins got for Carlo at the 2024 Trade Deadline: a first-round pick and top prospect Fraser Minten. That’s a hefty ask for a team that already has Dobson, Hutson, and Carrier on the right side.
Carlo, by comparison, looks like the cleaner fit from a cost standpoint. He was just dealt to the St.
Louis Blues for a pair of third-round picks, and if the season goes sideways, St. Louis could be in position to move him again at the deadline.
None of this means a deal is imminent. It does, though, fit the way Kent Hughes usually operates. He’s the kind of general manager who stays active, keeps calling, and keeps looking for a door to open.
Out in Los Angeles, the Kings made a different kind of statement about one of their icons. After more than 1,500 games over 20 seasons, Anze Kopitar was always going to have his number retired at Crypto.com Arena. On Aug. 7, the club added another layer: a bronze statue outside the building.
Kopitar will join Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, and Dustin Brown as Kings honored with statues. The arena already has plenty of basketball figures out front as well, including Kobe and Gianna Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, and others.
Kopitar has long carried the feel of a player who never quite got enough national shine for what he actually was. The Kings and their fans are making sure that doesn’t happen here.
Meanwhile, the Quinn Hughes situation is still unresolved, but it has moved forward. On the Aug. 6 episode of Worst Seats in the House, The Athletic’s Michael Russo said Hughes and Wild general manager Bill Guerin met in early June after Minnesota was knocked out by the Colorado Avalanche in the second round. Russo said Hughes told Guerin that he is interested in re-signing.
The two sides met again last week in Detroit, and the sense is that Hughes again made clear he wants to stay.
The length is the real tell. A short-term deal seems to be the direction, and three years looks like the sweet spot. Hughes’ brother, Jack Hughes, has three years left on his contract, and it would make sense for the two to try to align themselves for a future run at unrestricted free agency.
The family angle matters here, and Brady Tkachuk’s trade request from the Ottawa Senators is a useful reminder of how much it can matter. Tkachuk would only go to the Florida Panthers, and his brother being there was almost certainly the biggest reason.
For the Hughes brothers, the NHL side of that story is still unfinished. They’ve had success with Team USA at the Olympics, but the New Jersey Devils haven’t broken through the way many expected. That may make Quinn less eager to go there.
From Minnesota’s side, the pitch is obvious. The Wild can offer Jack Hughes a top-center role, the chance to play with Quinn, and a team that has been a perennial playoff presence even without elite center depth.
In Other News...
Quiet Canadiens Trade Just Became A Real Roster Problem
The Canadiens swap of Joshua Roy for Maksymilian Szuber looked like a straightforward depth move at first, but it may be a little more complicated now that the season is getting closer. Montreal added Szuber from the Utah Mammoth with an eye toward shoring up its blue line, and the appeal is clear enough: he brings a steady defensive game, plays a reliable style and profiles as the kind of player coaches tend to trust in a bottom-pairing or extra-defenseman role.
The wrinkle is roster management. Szuber is not waiver-exempt this season, which gives the Canadiens a real reason to think twice about where he starts the year. If Montreal wants to keep him in the organization, it may have to carry him on the NHL roster instead of trying to stash him in Laval, and that can quickly create a numbers crunch for a team still sorting out its defensive picture. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face A Costly Zachary Bolduc Decision This Summer
Zachary Bolducs contract situation is already shaping up to be one of the more delicate decisions on the Canadiens summer docket. The young forward remains unsigned for the coming season, and there is growing debate around whether Montreal should steer him toward a bridge deal or jump into a longer-term commitment while his place in the lineup is still being defined.
The hesitation is easy to understand from the Canadiens side. Bolducs rookie year was uneven, and the organization still has to weigh his development against the kind of role it believes he can eventually handle. Before the club commits real money and real term, it wants a clearer read on where he fits, which means this negotiation could take some time before the picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face A Tough Dylan Larkin Trade Dilemma
Dylan Larkins trade request has put the Detroit Red Wings in an awkward spot, and it has also created a tricky one for Montreal. Any serious talks around a deal would naturally draw interest from a Canadiens front office that has often preferred to build its exchanges around prospects and draft capital, a formula that has helped preserve the long-term runway of its roster.
The problem is that Detroit is looking for a different kind of return this time, and that changes the calculus for Montreal. The Red Wings want players who can step in and help right away, which makes the negotiations far less straightforward for a team that usually leans on future assets, especially when the other side is trying to manage the message it sends to young core pieces already in place. [Read more 🡒]