Training camps around the National Hockey League are one month away and we're inching closer to the start of the preseason too, with seven games getting us going on Saturday, September 19th, including a pair of split-squad contests between the Montreal Canadiens & Toronto Maple Leafs.
With roughly 30 days to go until the Canadiens take to the ice for their first skate of training camp, General Manager Kent Hughes still has quite a bit of business he'd like to get done. Along with re-signing restricted free agents Zachary Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj, there's no doubt that Hughes would love to bring a second line forward to the Canadiens before the season begins.
That might be tough to accomplish for various reasons including cost and availability. With that being said, I wouldn't be surprised if the Canadiens were to begin the 2026-27 season with who they currently have and then try to bring in some help for their second line, perhaps around American Thanksgiving, when they get a better snapshot on where they stand in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Given that the addition of a second line forward before opening night won't be easy, the Canadiens could turn their attention towards fortifying their depth at the forward position and one way they could do that is by inviting an unrestricted free agent to training camp on a professional tryout contract (PTO). With a shorter preseason and training, we might not see as many PTOs as we'd typically see, but never say never.
Let's take a look at three current unrestricted free agents who could be potential PTO candidates for Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens.
Three Potential PTO Options for Montreal Canadiens Ahead of Training Camp
Philipp Kurashev (26 years old)
After spending the previous five years with the Chicago Blackhawks, former fourth round pick Philipp Kurashev became an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, 2025 after the club opted not to issue him a qualifying offer. It didn't take Kurashev too long to find his next landing spot as on the opening day of the free agent market, he agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth $1.2 million USD with the San Jose Sharks.
Kurashev saw a dip in ice time in his final year with the Chicago Blackhawks and saw an opportunity to play more in San Jose, who were looking to take the next step in their rebuild. The signing worked out fairly well in the first two months of the season, with Kurashev registering 13 points in 24 games, including a two-goal effort (OT winner, too) against the Colorado Avalanche on November 1st.
As we got to the third month of the NHL's 2025-26 season, things went downhill for Kurashev. He suffered an upper-body injury that forced him to miss 19 games, before returning to San Jose's lineup on January 29th against the Calgary Flames. Upon returning from injury, Kurashev would go on to play in just 12 more games before the end of the regular season and found himself in the press box quite a bit as a healthy scratch.
The Davos, Switzerland native finished his time in San Jose with seven goals and 20 points in 43 games. While his offensive production might be down in the last couple of seasons, it might be worth it to offer a PTO to Kurashev to see what he could potentially bring to the Canadiens' bottom-six.
Pavol Regenda (26 years old)
The second name on my list is Slovak forward Pavol Regenda, who was teammates with Philipp Kurashev for six games during the 2025-27 season. On July 1st, Regenda became a Group 6 UFA, meaning that met the following requirements to hit the open market - 25 years of age or older with three professional seasons and less than 80 NHL games under his belt.
Regenda first came onto the radar of NHL scouts after an impressive showing at the 2022 Winter Olympics in China, where his teammate and current Montreal Canadien Juraj Slafkovsky was named tournament MVP, and then the 2022 IIHF World Hockey Championship. That spring, Regenda signed an entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks.
The Michalovce, Slovakia native appeared in just 19 NHL games with the Anaheim Ducks, spending the majority of his time with their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. In January 2025, Regenda moved up the I-5 as the Ducks traded him to the San Jose Sharks. With the Sharks, Regenda got more of an opportunity to play in the National Hockey League, suiting up 24 games where he had ten points (nine goals, one assist), along with 20 penalty minutes and was a minus-four.
From a depth standpoint, and potentially a top-six option for AHL Laval, Regenda wouldn't be a terrible option for the Canadiens. The production isn't fantastic, but from a comfortability standpoint, perhaps being on the same team as his Slovak national team teammate and friend, Juraj Slafkovsky, could help get him going at the NHL level.
David Perron (38 years old)
You can never go wrong with adding some more veteran presence to your locker room and a perfect example of that would be Sherbrooke, Quebec native David Perron, who spent last season with the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings.
Perron, who turned 38 back in May, has an impressive 1,239 regular season games to his name, 110 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and of course, won hockey's greatest prize while a member of the St. Louis Blues back in 2019. After struggling offensively during the 2024-25 campaign, Perron bounced back last season, registering 13 goals and 28 points in 65 games with Ottawa & Detroit.
Despite his age, Perron can still produce and could be an effective bottom-six forward for the Montreal Canadiens. He'd have to prove that through signing a PTO and coming to camp before getting a guaranteed contract. Should that happen and a hypothetical PTO is successful, it's safe to assume that Perron wouldn't get much more than the league minimum of $850,000 USD.
That being said, it's probably fairly unlikely the Canadiens would be able to get Perron to come to camp on a PTO as he's seeking a guaranteed contract for what very well could be his final season in the National Hockey League, given that he turns 39 next May. If he's still an unrestricted free agent by the time the second week of September rolls around, it might be worth reaching out to see if he's interested.