Wednesday will mark one week since the National Hockey League's free agency window opened up and there's still a handful of well-known names that have yet to be scooped up.
Future Hockey Hall of Famer Patrick Kane, 30-goal scorer Anthony Mantha, two-time Stanley Cup champion Vladimir Tarasenko and former first round pick Eeli Tolvanen are among those still available on the free agent market. While those players will find new homes in the not-so-distant future, it feels unlikely that the Montreal Canadiens will be a landing spot for any of them.
Instead, if the Montreal Canadiens are to pursue another free agent, or two, before training camp begins in mid-September, it'll be for depth purposes and there's plenty of that to go around at this time of year.
Whether it's former Stanley Cup champions or Winter Olympians, Kent Hughes has some intriguing options available to him and today, we're going to take a look at three potential UFA targets for the Montreal Canadiens.
Three depth free agent targets for the Montreal Canadiens
Pavol Regenda (26) - LW/RW
26-year-old Pavol Regenda gained plenty of attention in the first half of 2022 when he helped Slovakia win their first-ever medal in hockey at the Winter Olympics and then followed that up with a strong showing at the IIHF World Championship.
His strong play on the international stage in 2022, as well as a breakout year at the club level with Michalovce Dukla HC in the Slovak Extraliga helped Regenda land his first NHL contract, which he signed with the Anaheim Ducks just a few days after the IIHF World Championship wrapped up in Finland.
The Michalovce, Slovakia native spent the majority of his first three years in North America with Anaheim's American Hockey League affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, before he was traded to the San Jose Sharks in January of 2025. Regenda has 43 games of NHL experience under his belt, 24 of which came this past season with the Sharks where he registered ten points (nine goals, one assist), 20 penalty minutes and was a minus-four.
Contract-wise, Regenda will likely be looking at another one-year deal at the league minimum, which has increase from $775,000 to $850,000 USD.
Philipp Kurashev (26) - C/W
Another 2026 Winter Olympian that could be a depth option for the Montreal Canadiens this summer is Swiss forward Philipp Kurashev, who hit the open market for the second time in as many years last week.
The Münsingen, Switzerland native was slated to become a restricted free agent on July 1st, but the San Jose Sharks, who he spent the 2025-26 season with, opted not to issue him a qualifying offer ahead of the 5 pm ET deadline on June 29th, making him a UFA.
Kurashev, a fourth round pick of Chicago back in 2018, began his career in the National Hockey League in the Covid-shortened 2021 season and went on to appear in 317 games with the Blackhawks before joining the San Jose Sharks last summer. In 360 NHL games, the 26-year-old has put up 150 points (55 goals, 95 assists), 91 penalty minutes and is a minus-128.
The 26-year-old would be a decent piece for the Canadiens' bottom-six, especially for the speed and pace he plays with on a nightly basis. Kurashev is three seasons removed from his career-high of 18 goals and 54 points, and perhaps the Montreal Canadiens could be the team to help turn things around. He could be a low-risk, high-reward signing for Kent Hughes.
Arthur Kaliyev (25) - LW/RW
The final player we're looking at today is former Los Angeles Kings second round pick Arthur Kaliyev, who much like Philipp Kurashev, also become an unrestricted free agent on Canada Day after not receiving a qualifying offer from his NHL club, which was the Ottawa Senators.
Kaliyev, who was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, was a highly-touted prospect coming out of junior hockey after registering a whopping 248 points in 192 games with the Ontario Hockey League's Hamilton Bulldogs. After spending just one full year in the minors, Kaliyev made the jump to the National Hockey League with the Kings on a full-time basis for the 2021-22 season.
The 25-year-old went on to register back-to-back seasons with more than 25 points before his development began to stagnant a bit. After a 15-point campaign in 2023-24, Kaliyev requested a trade from the Kings, but the club held onto him until January 2025, when he was claimed off waivers by the New York Rangers. New York decided not to extend a qualifying offer to Kaliyev last summer and he went on to sign a one-year deal with Ottawa.
While Kaliyev only appeared in two games for the Senators this season, he opened eyes with his production in the American Hockey League as he finished the season with 40 goals and 68 points in 70 games.
It's a bit surprising that Kaliyev is still available. At worst, Kaliyev could be an offensive weapon for the Laval next season, but if he came in and had a good camp, he could win spot in the bottom-six on the opening night roster.