The 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase recently came to an end. Normally, the Habs don’t have many prospects in this event but they had four this time around with most of them playing prominent roles.
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.
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 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 bulk of free agent spending has come and gone, let’s take a look back at Montreal’s draft class from last month, a group that had some intriguing picks and also some surprising ones.
The Habs took care of another of their restricted free agents on Thursday as the team announced that they’ve signed defenceman William Trudeau to a one-year, two-way contract.
The Habs entered the second day of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft with ten picks on hand and ultimately made nine. As is tradition, here’s a rundown of their selections with scouting reports on most of their newest prospects.
The first round of this year’s draft takes place on Friday starting at 7:00 PM ET while rounds two through seven will be on Saturday beginning at 12:00 PM ET. Sportsnet, TVA Sports, and ESPN have coverage of Round 1 while Sportsnet and the NHL Network will also televise Day 2.
A little more than a decade ago, the Habs took Michael McCarron late in the first round. While William Horcoff has some similarities in terms of stature, he’s not the same player and could be a worthwhile selection for Montreal on Friday.