Early Look at Offseason Moves Made by the Montreal Canadiens

Coming into the offseason, the Montreal Canadiens weren't going to be major players on the free agent market. 

The expectation was that General Manager Kent Hughes may make a handful of depth signings, while focusing on his restricted free agents, potential contract extensions for key players on his roster, as well as the search for help for the team's second line - ideally both a centreman and a winger.

We're now over 48 hours into the National Hockey League's free agency window and we've seen some moves from Kent Hughes and the Canadiens' front office, so let's dive in and take a look at what has and hasn't been completed as of Friday morning.

Early Look at Montreal Canadiens' Offseason Moves

Looking back before July 1st, the trade market kept the Canadiens organization quite busy - albeit, mostly through minor league moves for Laval. The most notable trade the Canadiens have completed this offseason, so far, was dealing 14-year veteran Brendan Gallagher (50% retained) to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for future considerations.

The other three trades the Canadiens made in late June were mostly likely done by Assistant General Manager John Sedgwick, who also serves as the General Manager of their American Hockey League affiliate, the Laval Rocket.

Hunter McKown was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Luke Tuch. Brett Berard was added from the New York Rangers, who received William Trudeau. Meanwhile, German national team defenseman Maksymilian Szuber was brought in from the Utah Mammoth, with Joshua Roy, who appeared in 38 NHL games with the Canadiens, going the other way.

As the summer rolls on, there's no doubt Kent Hughes will do his best to make a big splash, as he's done every summer since arriving in Montreal.

Montreal Canadiens Contract Extensions

This summer, a couple key names were eligible to sign contract extensions with the Canadiens as they head into the final year of their respective deals in 2026-27. First up was forward Ivan Demidov, who agreed to terms on an eight-year extension (2027-28 to 2034-35) worth $9.15 million annually, just as the clock struck noon ET on Canada Day.

When Demidov's extension kicks in, he'll become the second-highest paid player on the Montreal Canadiens roster, only behind defenseman Noah Dobson, who's earning $9.5 million annually. The entire Canadiens core is now locked in long-term and not one player is making $10 million or above per season, which sets Kent Hughes up nicely in the years to come, especially if he wishes to pursue a top unrestricted free agent.

One day later, another key piece was locked up - goaltender Jakub Dobeš. Dobeš put pen-to-paper on a three-year contract extension (2027-28 to 2029-30) worth $5,357,575 per season.

The Ostrava, Czechia native had a fairly solid rookie season in the National Hockey League, appearing in 43 regular season games where he had a 29-10-4 record, 2.78 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. Dobeš' took his game to a new level in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as he helped the Canadiens reach the Eastern Conference Final.

Free Agent Signings in Laval & Montreal

Laval Rocket

The Laval Rocket had a busy July 1st as the club signed six players to standard American Hockey League contracts, while also receiving reinforcements through signings made by the Montreal Canadiens on the same day.

Former Florida Panthers prospect Braden Haché agreed to terms on a two-year, one-way contract with the Rocket. Haché spent the 2025-26 season with the American Hockey League's San Jose Barracuda where he registered 11 points (three goals, eight assists), 120 penalty minutes and was a plus-three in 72 games.

Laval also sorted out their goaltending depth on Wednesday as they agreed to terms on one-year contracts with Hunter Jones, Francesco Lapenna and Kevin Mandolese.

Jones was in the Canadiens organization for the entire 2025-26 season, appearing in 30 games for the ECHL's Trois-Rivieres Lions and three games for the Laval Rocket. Meanwhile, Lapenna joined the Lions towards the end of the season after his third and final year with the University of Ottawa.

As for Kevin Mandolese, who is the most well-known of the three netminders due to playing in three games in the NHL with Ottawa in 2021-22, he spent last year with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers and Syracuse Crunch, as well as HKM Zvolen in the Slovak Extraliga.

In addition to those four deals, the Rocket also re-signed forwards Vincent Arseneau and Xavier Simoneau to one-year AHL contracts. Arseneau had five goals in 22 games with the Rocket last season, while Simoneau registered 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 43 games.

Montreal Canadiens

After signing Ivan Demidov to his extension, the Canadiens re-signed veteran forward Alex Belzile and Finnish goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen to one-year, two-way contracts for the 2026-27 season.

Belzile returned to the Canadiens organization last summer after two years with the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack. With an 'A' on his sweater, Belzile went on to have the most productive AHL season of his career in 2025-26, registering 62 points (29 goals, 33 assists) in 66 games. With three straight 50+ point seasons under his belt, he's poised to play another big role for Laval.

Kahkonen made 38 appearances for Laval last season and started all five of their games in the Calder Cup Playoffs. In the regular season, the Helsinki native had a 21-9-11 record, a 2.73 goals against average and an .895 save percentage. He'll remain in Laval next season, barring an injury crisis in Montreal.

Later on in the day, the Canadiens dipped into the free agent market for some depth, including the signing of a former first round pick.

The Canadiens announced that they signed former Pittsburgh Penguins first rounder Samuel Poulin, as well as 22-year-old defenseman Ethan Samson, to one-year, two-way contracts. Both Poulin and Samson are Laval-bound this season, but it wouldn't be a surprise if the former appeared in a game or two at some point during the year if injury issues arise.

In December, Poulin was included in the Tristan Jarry-Stuart Skinner trade between Pittsburgh and the Edmonton Oilers. The Blainville, Quebec native went on to finish the year strong with Edmonton's AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors and set a new career-high in points. In 71 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Bakersfield, Poulin had 49 points (21 goals, 28 assists), 55 penalty minutes and was a plus-15.

Samson, a former sixth round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2021, spent last season with the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms & Syracuse Crunch where he tallied 18 points (five goals, 13 assists), 24 penalty minutes and was a plus-four in 40 games.

Who's Left the Organization?

Of the unrestricted free agents and non-qualified restricted free agents that became UFAs on July 1st, four have already found new homes for the 2026-27 campaign.

Forward Joe Veleno agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the New York Rangers worth $1.2 million USD. Veleno skated in 61 regular season games for the Canadiens last season, along with nine in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 26-year-old was set to become a restricted free agent this summer, but on June 29th, the Canadiens opted not to issue him a qualifying offer before the 5 pm ET deadline, making him an unrestricted free agent on Canada Day.

The New York Rangers weren't done with former members of the Canadiens organization as they announced that they signed defenseman Marc Del Gaizo to a two-year, two-way contract worth $875,000 USD annually at the NHL level. Del Gaizo signed with Montreal last summer as a free agent and spent the entire 2025-26 season in the AHL with Laval, registering 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) in 63 games.

2019 Stanley Cup champion Sammy Blais has decided to remain in Canada after leaving his home province of Quebec following one year with the Canadiens. On Wednesday, Blais signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Ottawa Senators worth $925,000 USD annually at the NHL level. The 30-year-old had 38 points in 35 games with Laval, as well as eight points in 21 games with Toronto and Montreal.

Earlier in June, before officially become an unrestricted free agent, defenseman Nate Clurman signed a one-year contract with Rogle BK in the Swedish Hockey League for the 2026-27 season. Clurman signed with the Canadiens on July 1st, 2025 and went on to appear in 60 games for the Laval Rocket, recording 11 points (one goal, ten assists), 22 penalty minutes and was a plus-three.

With roughly 9-10 weeks until training camps open up around the National Hockey League, General Manager Kent Hughes has plenty of time to search for his next big addition, as his sights are set on landing that elusive second line centreman.