Canadiens Primed For Big Trade Before Roster Freeze

The Montreal Canadiens could swing a trade for scoring help ahead of the roster freeze, with a big fish available in the upcoming draft.

Jul 7, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes (left) talks with head coach Martin St. Louis before the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images / Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

The Montreal Canadiens will enter the 2025-26 season with just 22 players on their roster, and this is a move that allows them to have flexibility should they hope to swing a trade down the line, with a team that finds they aren't as competitive as they hoped they would be.

Of course, another thing to consider is if a team is doing so poorly that they feel trading away a veteran could put them in a position to potentially select 2026 consensus first overall selection Gavin McKenna, then that could really open the floodgates.

“That 2026 Draft class is looking mighty attractive already, with a generational talent like Gavin McKenna at the top,” an NHL scout told RG.org. “I know of a few teams that would likely pack it in early if their team is out of it by December, and I bet the Canadiens are watching.”

It has been the best unkept secret that the Canadiens want to continue beefing up their offense, and with options like Kirby Dach and Oliver Kapanen slated to try and fill in the second-line center role, swinging on a trade using draft capital, and/or prospects could serve the Canadiens particularly well.

With an embarrassment of wingers, the only true top-six center who has solidified himself as such is captain Nick Suzuki. It's tough to imagine that the Canadiens will wait around too long, especially if their internal options don't work out, and that is why an insurance trade makes a lot of sense.

Apr 27, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier (45) looks on against the Washington Capitals during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Creative, low-cost opportunities are most likely ahead of the Trade Deadline, so it could be the best time for the Canadiens to strike again. Like last season, the trade between the Nashville Predators and Canadiens, which saw a pair of defensemen, Alexandre Carrier head to the Predators and Justin Barron back the other way, which occurred ahead of the 2024-25 roster freeze. This was a stabilizing move that balanced the blueline, and such a move to solidify the forward group makes tremendous sense.

Once one team starts to show signs of wanting to make a trade, the floodgates and activity could ignite the market, and that is when calculated GMs, much like Hughes, will quietly and methodically make their moves. The Canadiens look poised to make some noise again this season, and their experience should serve them well, so adding early in the season will allow for chemistry to form before a big playoff push.

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