For the Montreal Canadiens, there is a delicate balance that Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes, and Martin St. Louis must take into account this season. They are coming off a season where they were one round away from the Stanley Cup, but it wasn't good enough to get past the Carolina Hurricanes.
They know they have to improve but they can't make decisions to try and rush the team. It is important that they keep in mind that they are still in the process of building a Stanley Cup contender. They can't make a move that might jeopardize the long-term outlook for a short-term gain.
With that in mind, these are four things that could happen or be considered this season that the Montreal Canadiens can't afford to commit to.
Move Ivan Demidov to center
Ivan Demidov has emerged as one of the top forwards on the Montreal Canadiens and is probably one or two seasons away from being recognized as one of the best in the entire NHL. This past season, he played on the wing, but watching him play and the way he controls the ice, there is reason to believe he could play center.
The Canadiens still don't have a center for their second line, and it might be easy for Martin St. Louis to give Demidov a look at the position. It was even a question Jeff Gorton fielded before the NHL Draft and, at the time, didn't give it much thought:
"He's fastly becoming an elite winger, so I don't know if we want to mess with that. I do think if you look around the league, he does play like a center, right? He drives the line, he makes the plays, and we see a lot of elite wingers in the league that do those things. Instead of having an elite center, you may be able to do it through him."
The Canadiens still don't have that center after a quiet offseason, and if they can't find someone on the roster to fill that role, moving Demidov there would be tempting. It isn't worth messing with Demidov's development in this scenario, and the pressure needs to be on Kent Hughes to find a player before moving Demidov inside.
Waiting for Michael Hage and believing he can step right in as 2C
This next decision is connected to Demidov, as the Canadiens might view Michael Hage as the answer at center on their second line. Unfortunately, Hage won't be able to join Montreal until his season is over at the University of Michigan.
There is no way to know at this point when that might be, especially if the Wolverines get all the way to the end of the Frozen Four. Once he does, Hage should have the chance to jump right to the NHL but it is a risk to expect him to be able to move right in on that second line, and it would be at a time when the Canadiens are hopefully right in the middle of a playoff push.
Maybe there is a scenario where Alex Newhook emerges or Oliver Kapanen bounces back after being a healthy scratch for most of the playoffs. However, none of these scenarios are ideal and the best-case is that the Canadiens are able to get a trade done early in the season to upgrade the spot.
Re-sign Arber Xhekaj then move him to forward
The Montreal Canadiens still have two players who are restricted free agents and are looking for new contracts: Zachary Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj. For Xhekaj, the Canadiens probably would love to have him back, but they have a roster logjam on the blueline where they really don't have a spot for him.
One idea that was floated on HabsCast was that the Canadiens gauged his interest in moving to re-signing, but then moving to forward. It is something that would appear to have been considered in the past, as Xhekaj did play one game with the forwards last season.
Unfortunately, it is a horrible idea that, once again, is a short-term fix that doesn't really have much long-term benefit. Xhekaj is a defenseman, and that is where he provides the most value. He wants regular ice time, something he didn't get last season and probably won't get this season, either as a forward or on the blueline.
It is a creative solution to a potential problem but really doesn't help the Canadiens or Xhekaj. If they move him to forward, it is only going to hurt his trade value, and it is tough to imagine Xhekaj making the jump so seamlessly that he can earn a regular spot on the fourth line.
Unless the Canadiens trade one of their top six defensemen, the best solution is to trade Xhekaj now and get as much return as possible.
Keep 3 goalies on the NHL roster
The Canadiens still have Samuel Montembeault on their roster after not trading him this summer. The veteran is entering the final year of his contract, and it looks like Montreal is going to see if he can bounce back early in the season to improve his value on the trade market.
However, they also have Jacob Fowler, and the young goalie looks ready to make the jump to the NHL. As long as Montembeault is on the roster, though, the Canadiens can't afford to bring up Fowler.
They certainly could elect to go with three goalies, but by doing so don't really help themselves or Fowler. It is tough to manage the rotation of three goalies and get them regular starts to keep them fresh and not get rusty.
If the backup starts are split between Montembeault and Fowler, then the veteran probably doesn't get enough starts to improve his trade value, while Fowler doesn't get the development he needs. While it isn't ideal, the best plan for the Canadiens is to keep Fowler at Laval to get regular starts until they move on from Montembeault.
The Montreal Canadiens have plenty of momentum going into this season but can't afford to jeopardize that by making any of these decisions in 2026-27.
Add us as a preferred source on Google