Montreal Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes wasted no time, starting his press conference just two hours and 20 minutes after the free agency period opened on July 1st. This early appearance itself spoke volumes.
Following trades for Noah Dobson and Zachary Bolduc, and securing value signings for third-string goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen and depth forward Samuel Blais, Hughes effectively signaled that the initial phase of the open market hadn`t presented any other appealing options he intended to pursue immediately.
However, Hughes` work didn`t conclude there, and it seems he has remained actively engaged since that time.
The GM expressed a desire to execute at least one more trade before the upcoming season begins, while acknowledging that achieving this objective isn`t guaranteed.
As he stated eight days prior, “The reality is, we won`t build a perfect team in a single summer. As we move forward, we recognize there are additional things we aim to accomplish. I just don`t see us achieving everything simultaneously.”
Despite this perspective, it`s highly probable that the Canadiens` roster will undergo some further adjustments between now and opening night.
There are still positions that need filling, salary cap space to manage, and considerable time available to address these matters.
Depth Chart
Forwards
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Zachary Bolduc – Kirby Dach* – Ivan Demidov
Brendan Gallagher – Alex Newhook – Josh Anderson
Samuel Blais – Jake Evans – Patrik Laine*
Defence
Kaiden Guhle – Noah Dobson
Mike Matheson – Lane Hutson
Arber Xhekaj – Alex Carrier
Jayden Struble
Goal
Samuel Montembeault
Jakub Dobes
Total Forward Cap Hits: $57.48 million
Total Defence Cap Hits: $25.9 million
Total Goalie Cap Hits: $15.8 million (includes $10.5M for inactive Carey Price)
Cap Space Remaining: -$5.4 million
What`s Left to Do This Summer
Find a second-line centre
You might have noticed the asterisk next to Kirby Dach’s name in the depth chart listed above.
His inclusion there reflects the view – possibly contrary to popular opinion – that he might still be able to perform in this role, even after two consecutive seasons concluded prematurely due to reconstructive knee surgery.
Nevertheless, it`s understood that this possibility is uncertain, and the Canadiens would ideally prefer to secure a more reliable player to center the line featuring Bolduc and Demidov.
