Is October the month the Montreal Canadiens will be waiting for?

The league may not be set yet, but with the NBA looking to an October free agency, perhaps it will be similar for the Montreal Canadiens and the NHL.

If things went as normal, the Stanley Cup would’ve already been awarded, we would know where the Montreal Canadiens stand in the top ten of the NHL Draft, and they’d be gearing up for free agency. Unfortunately, it’s been an abnormal year, and the league is just starting to finalize how the end of the season will play out.

The NHL as a whole has been behind on most of these things. Phase 2 began at the beginning of the month, and we’ve seen a few teams actively participating in the voluntary on-ice sessions. At the same time, positive cases have derailed things and forced the league to revisit some of those decisions ahead of a restart. The same can’t be said for both the National Basketball Association and Major League Soccer, who already have confirmed restart dates of July 31st.

Another thing those other leagues have that the NHL doesn’t is an idea on free agency and the draft.

Of course, it’s one of those “let’s cross that bridge when we get there,” but you have to wonder when will the NHL open free agent frenzy. That’s a day fans live for as decisions after that noon kickoff can dictate the future of an organization positively and negatively.

The only thing the NHL has set for certain is the draft lottery set to take place on June 26th. Training camps have a target date of July 10th, but things can always change.

If things go to plan and training camp opens on the 10th, the NHL could return at the beginning of August. If so, perhaps the Stanley Cup is awarded at the end of September, giving more evidence towards a January start to the 2020-21 season (or in that case, just the 2021 season). That could have free agency open in October, providing teams with the opportunity to stock up.

It would line up well for what the NBA is doing. According to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA is planning to have free agency open on October 18th, 2020.

Not only does basketball have a date for free agency, but they also have one for the draft, which is expected to be on October 16th.

The NHL generally trends behind the other major sports; however, it also makes sense based on their proposed timeline for October to be an eventful one as well. The Montreal Canadiens have 14 picks at the upcoming event and who knows what the state of their first-rounder will be. It could possibly end up winning one of the lotteries, but how they do in the Stanley Cup Qualifier will determine whether they get it or not.

Looking at free agency, the Montreal Canadiens are one of the few teams in the league not stressing about the salary cap. Their time is coming, but as of right now, they have a little over $4.5 million left with Max Domi and Victor Mete to sign.

Probably compliance buyouts will help lighten the load for all teams and potentially give Marc Bergevin some wiggle room to be creative. And in a season where Montreal absolutely needs results, they’ll need all the room to be creative that they can get.

October could be the magical month for the Habs. With the possibility of free agency and the NHL Draft taking place then, it could be the time when general managers begin to pick up their phones and start talking trade. If so, make sure you have your popcorn makers ready in four months.