With a young core, improved depth, and still playing meaningful games late in the season, the Montreal Canadiens are trending in the right direction. However, not every decision has looked perfect in hindsight.
The mystery surrounding the Montreal Canadiens’ near-deadline move has quickly become one of the most intriguing storylines to emerge from the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.
When Juraj Slafkovsky decides to take control of a game, he’s impressive to watch. I’m thinking of his game last Saturday against the Kings, for example.
The Montreal Canadiens had a quiet trade deadline. Despite being in the thick of the playoff race, general manager Kent Hughes decided not to make a major move.
Arber Xhekaj has no future in Montreal. That much is becoming increasingly clear. The Canadiens will eventually want to bring in a right-handed defenseman with different qualities than Arber Xhekaj.
In the lore of the NHL, it's the Stanley Cup-winning teams that are remembered the most from seasons past. Yet, when looking back on the best of the best
David Reinbacher has been playing very well lately. Playing for the Laval Rocket, the defenseman is probably playing his best hockey since arriving in North America.
The Canadiens aim to bolster their postseason aspirations and levy another blow to those of the Toronto Maple Leafs when the Original Six rivals meet Tuesday in Montreal.
It may be time to move on from Brendan Gallagher. He has been an icon of the team for many years, serving the team with pride, but he is simply unable to keep up with Montreal’s level of play this season.
The next few weeks will be extremely important for the Canadiens. The Montreal club will have to find a way to earn as many points as possible in the standings if they hope to secure a spot in the playoffs.
We expected to see Kent Hughes make a move before the trade deadline. We expected the Canadiens’ GM to be able to bring in some help to improve his team for the rest of the season and the playoffs.
Last Friday, on the NHL trade deadline, the Canadiens had a “mystery player” in their sights. And of course, it got people talking, because we all ended up asking ourselves the same question.
This morning, the Canadiens announced that Oliver Kapanen would not be practicing. There is talk of a day of treatment for the Finnish player, who is not accustomed to being absent.
If I told you that David Reinbacher was more likely to be called up soon than Jacob Fowler, would you agree or disagree? Let’s be clear: I don’t know the answer to that question.
We now know that the Canadiens were unable to trade Patrik Laine. He is expected to finish the season with the Canadiens. But does that mean Kent Hughes, who failed to complete a trade last Friday, didn’t try to send the Finn elsewhere?
The Canadiens failed to complete a trade before the trade deadline. You knew that. That said, is it possible to think that, despite everything, the Habs could find something positive in this?
Ah, the Canadiens’ sacrosanct mystery trade… This is an issue that Kent Hughes wasn’t afraid to address in front of the media on Friday. The Canadiens’ GM said that, as you know, he came close to making a significant trade.
After Saturday night’s game, in which Nick Suzuki scored a goal and 3 points in a 4-3 victory against the Los Angeles Kings, the Montreal Canadiens captain now sits with 21 goals and 74 points in 62 games.
The race for the playoffs is slowly heating up for the Canadiens. And according to Grant McCagg, the organization’s priority should be pretty simple: do whatever it takes to help the big club.
Caution was the watchword for the Montreal Canadiens at the NHL’s trade deadline. General manager Kent Hughes said there was a “big deal” the team was pursuing in the days preceding the deadline, but the Habs ended up sitting on their hands.
The NHL trade deadline often brings fireworks, especially for teams fighting for playoff positioning. However, the Montreal Canadiens chose a different path this year.
Patrik Laine is a player I’ve been waiting to see play this season. It was only last January that he came back from an injury and put up huge power-play numbers.
The Montreal Canadiens are once again having goaltending struggles that could really hurt the team’s chances of making the playoffs if the inconsistencies in net continue.
For the second year in a row, the Montreal Canadiens reached the trade deadline and didn’t do very much. No big splash. No dramatic last-minute deal. No rental winger arriving to save the season.
The trade deadline has passed, and the Montreal Canadiens were unable to get rid of Patrik Laine’s contract. With that being said, the Habs will need to figure out how to handle things with the Finnish sniper once he is cleared to play full-time.