The Montreal Canadiens officially put a close to the 2025-26 season earlier this week with their last round of interviews. The focus now shifts to next season and how they can improve the roster to go further in the playoffs and reach the Stanley Cup Final.
This means that the Canadiens are going to be looking to add players to their roster, but to do so, they are going to have to say goodbye to some players to create that spot. One of those players has already confirmed his departure in Brendan Gallagher during his time speaking with the media.
These are four players who have likely played their final games with the Montreal Canadiens, starting with the forementioned Gallagher.
Brendan Gallagher
Brendan Gallagher has played his entire 14-season career with the Montreal Canadiens after he was drafted by them in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Draft. He will end up playing 911 regular-season games with 246 goals and 241 assists.
While it is disappointing to see a player who has meant so much to the franchise, it isn't that surprising. Gallagher had fallen out of the lineup during the playoffs and only played in three of the games during this latest run.
The Canadiens won't outright release Gallagher and will need to find a trade partner. It would make sense that Kent Hughes will work with Gallagher to find where he wants to go next and try to get a deal done in that regard.
Samuel Montembeault
Samuel Montembeault began the season as the Montreal Canadiens' starting goalie but struggled almost from the start. He certainly had some good games, but was inconsistent and at one point was sent down to Laval for a conditioning stint to try and get back on track.
By the time Montembeault returned, Jakub Dobes had already emerged as a starting goalie, and he remained in that role for the rest of the season. Even during the playoffs, it was rookie Jacob Fowler who was the backup and not the veteran Montembeault.
Montembeault has one more year left on his contract, and with so many teams having questions at the position, it shouldn't be too hard to find a trade.
However, it would be surprising that a team would trade for Montembeault to be their starter, so at best, he is going into a situation to compete for a starting job but rather might have to spend another year as a backup before becoming a free agent after the 2026-27 season.
Patrik Laine
Patrik Laine's tenure with the Montreal Canadiens is all but guaranteed to end with him set to be an unrestricted free agent. The forward joined the team prior to the 2024-25 season but dealt with several injuries that limited his time on the ice.
In his first season with the Canadiens, he would play 52 games and score 20 goals, but had a +/- of -14 that highlighted his struggles in the defensive zone. This past season, he played only five games and recorded only one assist before suffering an injury.
Even after he was healthy, the Canadiens elected not to activate him, really because they didn't have a spot in the lineup by the time he was ready to return. This is clearly a situation where the player just didn't fit the way Martin St. Louis wanted his team to play, and now the player will get a fresh start somewhere else next season.
Kirby Dach
The final player is interesting because there is a chance Dach returns next season but it isn't necessarily straightforward. Similar to Laine, Dach has dealt with injuries during his time with the Montreal Canadiens and hasn't played more than 58 games in a season.
This past season, he played only 37 regular season games but finished the season healthy as he played in every playoff game for the Canadiens. Where the discussion comes into play is around his contract, as he is a restricted free agent this summer.
However, he will only be a restricted free agent if the Canadiens extend the qualifying offer, but that seems unlikely, as it is a one-year deal worth $4 million. The Canadiens could try to work out a new contract before the qualifying offer deadline that could be more of a long-term deal or even a one-year deal lower than the qualifying offer if Dach wants to stay in Montreal.
Of the four players on the list, Dach is the most likely to come back to Montreal, but at this point still seems like a long shot. At the end of the day, it is more probable that he is playing hockey somewhere else next season.
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