Montreal’s first signing in free agency is one that was of the depth variety. Multiple reports indicate that the Canadiens have signed winger Alex Barre-Boulet to a one-year, one-way contract worth the league minimum salary of $775,000.
The Habs now have a vacancy behind the bench to try to fill as Alex Burrows will not return as an assistant coach on Martin St. Louis’ staff next season.
Sunday afternoon was the deadline for teams to submit qualifying offers to their restricted free agents. Montreal had six of them but only elected to tender two of those players.
Montreal’s defensive logjam is well-known and on Sunday, they helped clear that up, announcing that they’ve traded Johnathan Kovacevic to New Jersey in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick.
The Habs went into Friday with a dozen picks at their disposal. They’ve used three of them to move up as the team announced that they’ve traded picks 26, 57, and 198 to Los Angeles in exchange for the 21st selection.
Qualifying offers are due by Sunday and if pending restricted free agents don’t receive one by then, they’ll become unrestricted on Monday. That’s the route that Jesse Ylonen will be taking as Jeff Gorton confirmed today that the Canadiens will not tender him a qualifying offer this weekend.
The Habs have largely had the same group of right wingers for several seasons now. It’s a group that features some veteran underachievers while in terms of prospect depth, it’s not the deepest spot in the organization.
The Habs have made a concerted effort to add some options down the middle to address a long-standing need. While they’ve certainly improved in that regard, there is still room to try to add to their group of centres.
The draft is the primary focus of our latest podcast, assessing who Montreal’s options could be with their two first-round picks heading into next week’s festivities.
The Habs have emphasized trying to add down the middle in recent years with the additions of Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook. Even so, Montreal’s pool has a fair bit of depth on the left wing.