The Montreal Canadiens have had a relatively slow start to the season, with Martin St. Louis' group seventh in the Atlantic Division and 13th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 3-3-1 in seven games. It's still early, so there's no reason to panic, but they hope to start heading in the right direction starting on Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres.
One bright spot for the Canadiens early on this season is the play of veteran forward Josh Anderson. Anderson began the season with a two-point performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs and this week, picked up three goals - one against Buffalo on Tuesday and two against the Washington Capitals the following night.
Anderson is currently in the final year of a seven year contract he signed with the Canadiens back in October 2020 after being traded to Montreal by the Columbus Blue Jackets for Max Domi. There's no question he would have plenty of potential suitors if he were to test the free agent market next summer, but it looks like the Canadiens forward has his sights set on remaining in Montreal.
Josh Anderson Reportedly More Likely to Sign Extension in Montreal Than Test Free Agent Market
According to TSN insider Darren Dreger, Josh Anderson and Montreal Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes met prior to the start of the 2026-27 season, with the forward expressing his desire to remain with the club on a long-term basis. Dreger added that both sides will likely get into extension talks in the near future, with Hughes currently focused on added another forward to the Canadiens' roster.
"What I can tell you here is that Josh Anderson and Kent Hughes, the GM for the Canadiens, met prior to the start of the year, and Josh Anderson made it abundantly clear as a designated leader that he wants to stay long term in Montreal." Dreger said.
He added, "We know that Hughes and the Habs have been actively trying to acquire a forward. So that’s been their priority. They are going to get into extension negotiations, I would expect sooner rather than later. But here’s also something that’s noteworthy. He’s represented by Darren Ferris. And Darren Ferris is a player agent who likes to march his top clients as close to July 1st or past July 1st as he can. And that is not the plan of the Canadiens and it sounds like Anderson wants to stay."
Keeping Josh Anderson around beyond this season should be a no-brainer for the Canadiens organization. With the departure of Brendan Gallagher in the offseason, Anderson has stepped up into a leadership role for the Canadiens and was named the team's new full-time alternate captain at their annual golf tournament last month.
Montreal's locker room needs players like Josh Anderson, as does any team that's looking to contend for a Stanley Cup. Kent Hughes will need to ask himself two questions before getting into talks with Anderson and his camp. 1) How many years are we willing to go with Josh Anderson? and 2) What is the maximum salary we're willing to offer, while also considering future deals both internally (Hage, Zharovsky ELCs, Fowler extension) and externally (either via trade or free agency)?
While Josh Anderson says he wants to remain in Montreal long-term, I have a hard time seeing him land another seven year deal, which is now the maximum under the new collective bargaining agreement. A four, maybe five-year contract would be a good spot for both sides, with Anderson set to turn 33 next May.
Salary-wise, Anderson is currently earning $5.5 million USD annually, but a strong season from him could potentially bump up his price on his next contract, albeit only by a little bit. $5.75-6 million USD annually seems fair for someone like Josh Anderson, especially in the NHL's new economic climate, with player salaries and the salary cap increasing rapidly in recent years, partly due to record-setting revenues.
The Canadiens can more than afford a $6 million salary for the Burlington, Ontario native, with PuckPedia projecting that Montreal will have $28.8 million in available cap space next summer and only a handful of noteworthy free agents - Phillip Danault, Kirby Dach, Chris Kreider, Alexandre Carrier and Samuel Montembeault.
In 428 career games with the Montreal Canadiens, Anderson has registered 164 points (99 goals, 65 assists), 439 penalty minutes and is a minus-63.