While the Montreal Canadiens did a good job securing the core for the future with extensions for Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes this summer, they were also proactive with long-term deals for players like Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Lane Hutson. However, the roster could look very different this time next season.
In fact, there are eight players currently set to be free agents, either restricted or unrestricted, after this season. That total doesn't include Arber Xhekaj or Zachary Bolduc, who are currently still restricted free agents and could sign just one-year deals.
Some of these players, it feels more likely than not that they will be returning, even though they might be free agents, and that group includes Oliver Kapanen, Alex Newhook, and Jayden Struble. However, when looking at the roster as it currently stands, these are five players who are more than likely entering the final year with the Montreal Canadiens.
Samuel Montembeault
It is a little surprising that Samuel Montembeault, who is in the last year of his contract, is included in this list because it felt almost certain that he would be traded this offseason. The veteran goalie fell down the depth chart as the season went along last year, and after struggling as the starter, he would be surpassed by Dobes and Jacob Fowler.
Those two are clearly the future, but the Montreal Canadiens aren't ready to just give away the veteran to free up that roster spot for Fowler. It is still possible that the Canadiens trade Montembeault at some point, but they are not going to rush anything.
If they don't trade him, the Canadiens will let him go into free agency knowing that the position is set with Dobes and Fowler moving forward.
Kirby Dach
The Montreal Canadiens and Kirby Dach were able to avoid arbitration this summer and agreed to a new one-year deal. The one thing that was telling about this summer was the qualifying offer that the Canadiens extended to Dach.
Since Dach played fewer than 60 games, the Canadiens were able to offer a two-way contract, which is not common for a player like Dach. It signaled that the Canadiens still believed in him but were trying to limit the risk, knowing that he had struggled to stay healthy after not playing more than 58 games in a single season over the four years he had been with Montreal.
Even if Dach has a great season and proves he can stay healthy, it is hard to imagine that the Canadiens would be willing to commit to him with a new deal next summer.
Josh Anderson
In 2020, the Montreal Canadiens made a big move by not only trading for forward Josh Anderson but then giving him a seven-year deal. He is now entering the final year of that deal and the Canadiens will have some decisions next summer.
While Anderson hasn't necessarily lived up to the contract, he has been productive for Montreal, and it wouldn't be all that surprising if he returned. However, there are teams that probably would be willing to offer him more, and with some younger players ready to make the jump to the NHL, it might not make sense from a roster management perspective.
Phillip Danault
The Canadiens brought back Phillip Danault last December in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings, and the veteran center is now entering the final year of his contract. He provided exactly what the Canadiens hoped for in being a strong defensive forward who was excellent in the faceoff circle.
Danault is in a similar situation to Anderson, where he filled a role and did it well, but he is getting older, and Montreal has some younger prospects ready to take that next step. It wouldn't be all that surprising if Danault gets another short-term contract, but it might be in that secondary wave of deals next summer.
Alexandre Carrier
One of the biggest questions the Canadiens have this offseason is how they manage a logjam on their blueline. They still haven't re-signed Arber Xhekaj, while David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom will be competing for spots on the NHL roster.
When looking ahead to next summer, they have two players set to be free agents, with Jayden Struble set to be a restricted free agent and Alexandre Carrier an unrestricted free agent. Right-handed defensemen still in the prime of their career usually get a lot of interest in free agency, and the Canadiens might not be willing to meet the contract demands that Carrier would get elsewhere.
For some of these players, they may not even get to free agency as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. It wouldn't be all that surprising if some of these players were traded during the season but in the end it is likely that a majority of these players are entering the final season with Montreal.
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