The centre position is something the Habs have been trying to shore up for basically multiple general managers now. However, while they still need some upgrades, the organizational depth is starting to come around.
While it took a little longer than expected, the Habs reached a contract agreement with their final restricted free agent, announcing on Monday that they’ve re-signed defenceman Jayden Struble to a two-year contract that carries a cap hit of $1.4125 million.
Going back to after he was just drafted in 2023, there was some thought that Bogdan Konyushkov could be a late-season addition in Montreal in 2025-26. Now with a KHL extension in place, that option is no longer on the table and the Habs should be looking for extra right-shot depth on the back end.
We’ve seen the Habs already make one move this summer to add to their stockpile on the left wing but how do they stack up at that position across the organization? That position is up next in our assessment.
As soon as the Habs acquired Noah Dobson back on draft day, speculation about Mike Matheson’s future with the team started up with the thought that they need to make a move quickly. That’s not really the case.
The Habs have only made a couple of moves of note this offseason but both have involved right-shot defencemen. Following those moves, how does the team shape up at that spot?
The Habs have added some extra depth down the middle as they announced on Wednesday that they’ve signed Joe Veleno to a one-year contract. The deal is believed to be worth $900,000.
The left side of the back end for the Canadiens appears to be in good shape for the foreseeable future. That’s especially important as it has become one of their thinner positions in the pipeline all of a sudden.
With the NHL and NHLPA recently ratifying the four-year CBA extension beginning in 2026-27, several changes will be coming at that time. One change is an increase in minimum salaries which will have an impact on some of Montreal’s recall options.
Now that the dust has largely settled on the offseason activity, it’s a good time to assess Montreal’s organizational depth. As always, we begin with the goaltenders.