The NHL trade freeze for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics ends as of February 22nd, with the schedule resuming on February 25th. The NHL Trade Deadline is on March 6th, giving teams just under two weeks to finalize their rosters for the final stretch of the season. The Montreal Canadiens are in a prime position to make the NHL Playoffs, sitting second in the Atlantic Division, six points back of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Canadiens are in a great spot, and if they were to make any moves, it would likely not be by adding big-name players, but rather trades to help fill out the roster for a playoff run or to shed salary.
Trade Patrik Laine
The cloud hovering over the Canadiens before the Olympic break was, " What are they going to do with Patrik Laine?” He has not played in a game since October 16th after going down with an abdominal injury. He has been practicing with the team for about a month now, but there have not been any updates on when or if he will return. The biggest issue is that there are no spots for him in the lineup right now.
The Canadiens are playing well and probably do not want to mess with their lineup too much for a one-dimensional player. Laine can be a monster on the power play, as we saw last season, when he came back from injury, scoring 15 of his 20 goals on the man advantage. The problem is that when he is not scoring, he does not really generate anything offensively and has become a liability defensively. The best move going forward would be to find Laine a new home where he can start playing regularly. The trade would not be about recouping assets, but more about finding Laine the best place for him to flourish.
Add another defenceman
There are not many glaring holes on the Canadiens roster, but something that has become more and more evident as the season has gone along is that the team could use another depth defenceman. Rotating between Jayden Strubble and Arber Xhekaj is not working. Both have struggled at points this season, but even with Xhekaj's play improving over the last two months, Martin St. Louis seems reluctant to play the big, bruising defender. Xhekaj leads the team in penalty minutes, which could be a factor, but it is clear that the Canadiens need to add a defender.
If the Canadiens do not want to be tied to a defenceman past this season, because they believe either Adam Engstrom or David Reinbacher has progressed far enough to make the jump to the NHL, there are a couple of pending free agents they could target. Logan Stanley of the Winnipeg Jets could be an option. The towering 6’7” defenceman has played well this season for a Jets team that struggled once Connor Hellebuyck went down with a knee injury. Reports are that the Jets would be open to moving him before the trade deadline. If the Canadiens could add a player like Stanley, he would bring clarity to the team’s bottom pairing, while at the same time not losing that physical presence you have on the ice if Xhekaj is the one being sent the other way.
Make a decision on Samuel Montembeault
The writing is on the wall for Samuel Montembeault and his future with the Canadiens moving past this season. The team looks ready to move forward with the young duo of Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler, leaving Montembeault as the odd man out. Montembeault’s play has not done him any favours this season, posting 3.34 goals against average and a career worst .875 goals against average. It is not about whether the Canadiens will trade him; it is about when.
Montembeault still has a year remaining on his deal past this season, and with Fowler looking like he is ready to make the jump, carrying three goalies is not an option. If the Canadiens do decide to trade him before the March 6th deadline, the question now becomes, do the Canadiens recall Fowler, or let him finish out the year with the Laval Rocket and trade for a veteran goalie? An ideal candidate would be someone like Jonathan Quick. A goalie who has valuable playoff experience, on an expiring deal, and could be a vocal leader in the locker room. It will be interesting to see how willing the Canadiens are to shake up their roster.