This was one of the biggest off-seasons in recent memory for the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs made some big swings and gave up some depth in return. The team seems to be stronger due to the additions, but there are still some questions and holes that need to be filled.
Biggest Additions: Noah Dobson, Zachary Bolduc, Sammy Blais, Kaapo Kahkonen
Dobson is one of the biggest acquisitions in this whole off-season. It's not very often that a number 1 defenseman comes on the market, and for a relatively cheap price. Two first-round picks and Emile Heineman are not nothing, but Dobson is special.
Zachary Bolduc is another Hughes/Gorton special. A young player with a high draft pedigree and upside. The weird thing is that Bolduc isn't necessarily low. He had a very good rookie season, scoring almost 20 goals.
The other two are more depth options in Kahkonen and Blais. Each might see NHL time, depending on performances and injuries, but shouldn't make a huge impact.
Biggest Subtractions: Christian Dvorak, Logan Mailloux, Joel Armia, Emile Heineman, David Savard
The Canadiens lost a couple of important depth pieces in trades, free agency, and retirement.
Veteran defender David Savard retired at the end of the season, which leaves a hole in the bottom pairing and penalty kill. And Logan Mailloux won't be missed too much in the NHL, especially if players like Engstrom and Reinbacher continue to develop.
Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak both walked away from the Canadiens in free agency. Dvorak signed a big one year deal with Philadelphia for $5.4 million, and Armia went to the Kings. Emile Heineman is the other major forward departure, as part of the trade for Noah Dobson.
So, after all those moves, where is the team now?
Strength: The Blue Line
The Canadiens had a strong blueline core, with a lot of good prospects coming up the line last year. This year, they might have one of the best defensive cores in the entire league, and most of them are incredibly young as well.
Dobson slots incredibly well on the first pairing, and Hutson won the CALDER for the league's best rookie. That's not to mention the solid veteran pairing of Matheson and Carrier, and having Guhle so far down the lineup just shows how good the defence is.
Guhle and Matheson can both be moved up the lineup and not look too out of place. Xhekaj is still a force to be reckoned with on the blueline, and Struble can be relied upon in the bottom 4. And hopefully Reinbacher will be developing and will come onto the scene too.
The present Canadiens blueline is bright, and the future is even brighter.
Weakness: The Second Line
Okay, this is mostly focused on the centre position, but the second line was the biggest issue for the Canadiens last season, and it seems like it will continue into the 2025-26 season.
It looks like Kirby Dach will get another chance at the second line centre, and no one knows which Dach we will be getting after missing another big chunk of time due to injury.
No one is really worried about Ivan Demidov. He is going to be a stud no matter where he plays. He scored 2 points in his first NHL period, and seemed to grow more and more comfortable as he played more.
Laine can score, but undoubtedly will have defensive woes and passion question marks. Laine has had rocky seasons and relationships with previous teams; it could happen again. It seems like Laine is happy with Montreal, and the team is happy with him.
Strength: Winger Scoring
The majority of scoring last season came from the first line. The depth scoring had its moments, especially with the re-emergence of Brendan Gallagher, but the Canadiens could use a bit more depth scoring. Putting all the offensive pressure on three players is not a recipe for success.
And the Canadiens are losing a few goals in Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak and Emile Heineman. But with interior and exterior additions, the Canadiens' secondary winger scoring should take an uptick.
Demidov has the potential to outscore each of those departures put together. He is one of the early favourites for next season's Calder Trophy, and if his first NHL goal is anything to go off of, he will be a skating highlight reel. But that is a lot to put on a young rookie, no matter how good he looks.
But Zachary Bolduc is also coming in. He scored 19 goals last season, and that was his rookie season. 20 goals wouldn't be too unexpected for Bolduc, more than Armia, Heineman, or Dvorak have ever scored.
Weakness: The Penalty Kill
Losing the one-two punch of Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak on the penalty kill will definitely hurt, especially without anyone being brought in that can explicitly fill those roles.
Dvorak was a solid faceoff man, and would be brought on penalty kills and late in games just to win a faceoff. Without the Canadiens adding another centre, this will be missed.
And Joel Armia had become one of the better penalty killers in the league, along with his partner Jake Evans. But the additions of Demidov and Bolduc shouldn't impact the penalty kill.
David Savard has retired, and he was a formidable force on the penalty kill, if only for his fearless shot blocking. If some players don't step up, or another move is made for some penalty killers, the Montreal Canadiens' penalty kill might struggle this year.
So, ultimately, the Canadiens' top end got better, while the depth and penalty killing potentially took a hit. It is possible that internal development could help mitigate these problems, but we won't know until the team takes the ice.
The best of the Canadiens got better and should cover some of the depth woes. With these additions and the growth of a young team, we can expect another playoff run for the team, one that will hopefully go a bit better than last time.