The Montreal Canadiens will most likely head into the 2025-26 season with some alterations to their roster. Whether it's a new addition through the trade market, new players from the Laval Rocket, or a free agent signing, the Habs' front office will improve their team to make another playoff run.
Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have done a great job with rebuilding this team, as Gorton did when he was with the New York Rangers before this. When Gorton was with the Rangers, he selected Alexis Lafreniere first overall in the 2020 draft, and he could be a player New York is looking to move this offseason.
Acquiring Lafreniere doesn't come without risks. He seems like the type of player that might not thrive under the pressure of being a Quebec-born player in Montreal. It's a possibility that he embraces the opportunity, but it'd have to be something worth looking into before they make the deal.
Lafreniere might have struggled this past season but the Canadiens would still need a good return for his services. It looked like he was about to break out when he had 57 points in 82 games in 2023-24 and then 14 points in 16 games in the playoffs. However, he regressed to 45 points this past season in a year where all the Rangers struggled and they failed to make the playoffs.
Lafreniere and the Rangers might be looking for a fresh start. New York has some decisions to make after falling out of the playoffs, and Mike Sullivan could be looking for a different element that Lafreniere doesn't necessarily bring. The question is what the Canadiens would give up to acquire him.
Alexis Lafreniere trade return
The Canadiens haven't been afraid to use draft picks to acquire win-now talent. They've already done it to acquire Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach, and it could be another case this summer at the draft. Would Lafreniere be worth trading one of their first-round picks?
The Rangers wouldn't take a mid-first-round pick for Lafreniere alone. Montreal would have to sweeten the pot, which could lead them to add Arber Xhekaj, as Denis Gauthier hypothesized with Tony Marinaro this week.
Would the 16th overall pick and Xhekaj be enough? The Canadiens might need to add one or two more pieces to that deal, but they have draft picks and prospects to spare.