Now that the 2025-26 season is officially over with the Carolina Hurricanes winning the Stanley Cup, the offseason can begin. One of the first big parts of the offseason starts only 48 hours after the Stanley Cup, with the buyout window opening on Wednesday, and the Montreal Canadiens are one of the teams to watch closely.
The rules for a buyout are somewhat complex, and there are several conditions that must be met. Puckpedia does a good job laying out who might be eligible and how a buyout is calculated.
When reviewing the roster, the Montreal Canadiens have two buyout candidates that they could consider to create some needed cap space. In an ideal situation, they are able to trade these players to realize the full cap space, but if that isn't possible, then these two players could be bought out.
Brendan Gallagher
It is no secret that Brendan Gallagher is unlikely to be back with the Montreal Canadiens, as the player himself confirmed it shortly after the Canadiens' season ended. While he may not be the player he once was, he can still be valuable in the right situation and should generate some trade interest from around the league.
The big issue is that he has a cap hit of $6.5 million, and even if it is only one season left on his contract, that might be too much for teams to add essentially a fourth liner.
If the Canadiens were to buy out Gallagher, they would have a buyout cost of $1.3 million, as it would be 67% of his remaining base salary ($4 million) that can be spread out over two seasons. After that, the math is the cap hit that season minus the base salary plus the buyout cost, which means Gallagher would count $3.83 million against the cap this year and $1.33 million next season.
While it adds to next season's salary cap, this move would save $2.67 million this season.
Samuel Montembeault
The other player who could be considered a buyout candidate for the Montreal Canadiens is Samuel Montembeault. The Canadiens' goalie had a disastrous season that began with him as the starter, but he struggled in the crease and was eventually passed by both Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler on the depth chart.
Even with his struggles, finding a trade partner for Montembeault should be easier than for Gallagher. He is only one season removed from a season with four shutouts and a goals against average of 2.82, and it feels like a majority of the league is looking for a goalie.
The contract isn't unreasonable either, with only one year left with a cap hit of $3.15 million. The math for Gallagher still applies in this situation, so Montembeault would count against the salary cap $1.52 million and $816,667 next season.
However, this move would open up $1.6 million in cap space. In both situations, the Canadiens certainly would rather trade either player as they can realize the full amount of cap space with a move like that and don't add to next season's salary cap. If a trade isn't out there and general manager Kent Hughes believes he needs a little more cap space, these are certainly two options that could be on the table.
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