The Montreal Canadiens are a team that is not at all ready to compete for a Stanley Cup, and probably won’t be hanging around the playoff picture into the new year either.
However, they also have a lot of NHL ready options available at all positions. They traded for Jeff Petry earlier this offseason, and then moved him to the Detroit Red Wings for Gustav Lindstrom and a fourth round pick.
Lindstrom played at the NHL level last season, but will not be handed a role with the Canadiens. He will battle with David Savard, Justin Barron, Johnanthan Kovacevic and Chris Wideman for an NHL roster spot, and then ice time if he even makes the 23-man Canadiens roster on opening night.
Up front, things got cleared up with the trade of Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick, but it will still be difficult for a prospect to steal a role on the team as they have 14 forwards returning who all played regularly in the NHL last season. Essentially, their roster spots are already locked up at forward, and they have a couple extra options on the blue line.
In goal, the Canadiens have too many options as well. Sam Montembeault and Jake Allen were the tandem last season and Montembeault heads into the 2023-24 season on the final year of his contract while Allen has two years remaining.
The Habs also acquired Casey DeSmith from the Pittsburgh Penguins, giving them three regular NHL goaltenders from last season. That is already too many, but they also have Cayden Primeau on the roster and he needs to pass through waivers for the first time before he can be sent down to the Laval Rocket.
Primeau has shown some promise at the college and AHL level, but he has a 4.11 GAA and a .871 SV% in 21 NHL games so far in his career. It seems unlikely he will get claimed off waivers so he is likely headed back to Laval.
But how will the Canadiens clear up the rest of their goaltending logjam? They pretty much have to trade one of them, but who will it be?