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?
Montreal’s offseason activity was the focus of our latest podcast including their two offseason trades, the draft, and much more.
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.
Jakub Dobes was eligible to file for salary arbitration on Saturday but elected not to. It turns out that he didn’t need to as the Habs announced on Sunday that they’ve signed the goaltender to a two-year contract.
Saturday was the deadline for eligible players to file for salary arbitration. The Habs had two in defenceman Jayden Struble and goaltender Jakub Dobes. While Dobes didn’t file, Struble did.
Montreal’s biggest move on the opening day of free agency wasn’t a signing but rather a trade as they sent Logan Mailloux to St. Louis for Zachary Bolduc. Our writers offer up their thoughts on the swap.