This is a big season for the Montreal Canadiens as a team, as they want to prove that last season was not a fluke and that they are one of the best in the Eastern Conference. The pressure will be on most of their stars, like Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield, and Ivan Demidov, to lead the way.
While every player is going to be focused on team success, there are several players who will be wondering if this is their final season in Montreal. The Canadiens have several players who are entering the final year of their contracts and are set to become unrestricted free agents after the season.
Those players are going to want to put the best performance they can out there to help their case for their next contract, whether that is in Montreal or somewhere else in the league. When looking at the roster, these are three players in particular who are under the most pressure entering this season.
Josh Anderson
The Montreal Canadiens were hoping that Josh Anderson could be that future star when they made a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets before the 2020-21 season. They made an almost immediate commitment to Anderson with a new seven-year contract just days after trading for him.
Anderson is now entering the final year of that contract, and after a great first season that included 17 goals in 52 games, he has struggled to produce at that level. He did have 21 goals during the 2022-23 season, but that was in 69 games. Since that season, he has had only 38 goals combined over the past three seasons.
While he may not be that top-line forward that the Canadiens envisioned, he does play a role on this team as a physical forward in their bottom six. At 32 years old, if he continues to show that this season, it wouldn't be surprising to see Montreal bring him back on a short-term deal after the season.
Kirby Dach
The big test for Kirby Dach this season is to show he can stay healthy, as injuries have been a challenge for the former third overall pick. Dach is entering his fifth season with the Canadiens after the two sides agreed to a one-year deal this summer.
However, in the past four seasons, Dach has never played more than 58 games in a season and in total has missed 53% of regular season games during this stretch.
The Canadiens have questions at center on their second line, and Dach should be one of the players that factors into the training camp battle for that spot. Last season, Dach got off to a fast start with five goals and two assists through the first 12 games of the season.
If he can replicate that, while staying healthy, he could earn himself a big contract in free agency.
Alexandre Carrier
The Canadiens traded for Carrier during the 2024-25 season, and with the depth the team has on its blueline, it is likely that Carrier is entering his final season in Montreal. This past season, he played in 73 games with seven goals and 15 assists and a +/- of +2 in about 19 minutes per game of ice time.
Last season, Carrier was paired primarily with either Lane Hutson or Arber Xhekaj, and while Carrier and Hutson had the better Corsi For % at 51.31, Hutson was better playing with Noah Dobson and even Jayden Struble when looking at that metric.
Entering training camp, there is no guarantee where Carrier will play or who he will be paired with. The Canadiens have David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom pushing for spots, and if they bring back Arber Xhekaj, the position gets even more crowded.
The pressure will be on Carrier to first show he deserves a regular spot in the lineup and hold onto it throughout the season. He is going to need to do that if he hopes to earn another long-term contract this summer.
It is unclear at this point if any of these three players will be back in Montreal after this season but a strong performance will help them in free agency this summer.
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