Canadiens' Free Agency Day One Deals

Bolduc was selected in the same draft (2021) as Mailloux (31), also in the first round at pick No. 17. While he played on the wing for much of the season with the Blues, he is a natural center, who was a prolific scorer in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, playing for the Rimouski Oceanic first from 2019-2020 to 2020-2021, before he was trade to the Quebec Remparts.

With Rimouski Bolduc posted a 30-goal season, but it was with the Remparts, while playing center, that the sniper had his best scoring seasons, posting a 55 and 50-goal season consecutively to close out his junior career. Sam Bennett has made some dough with the Florida Panthers thanks to his sandpaper playing style, and Bolduc plays similarly.

Should be quite the homecoming for the Trois Rivieres, Quebec native.

Canadiens signed goaltender Kaapo Kähkönen, and forward Samuel Blais to one-year deals.

Hughes' first signing on opening day came in twos, with goaltender Kaapo Kähkönen and forward Samuel Blais signing each for one year.

Kähkönen joins the Canadiens after spending the 2024-2025 season essentially all over the United States, starting with the Colorado Avalanche, before being demoted to the Colorado Eagles. Then he played for the Manitoba Moose before finishing the season with the Charlotte Checkers.

In Montreal, with a shiny new deal, he is likely to ride backup to Samuel Montembeault, while Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler cook with the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League.

Blais addresses a need for some bite in the bottom six, and a warm body, though he is more than that, after Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, Michael Pezzetta and Emil Heineman's departures have left holes to be patched up in the Canadiens' bottom six.

Blais played the '24-'25 season with the Abbotsford Canucks, down in the AHL. The six-foot-two, 205-pound winger scored 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points in 51 games, along with a modest 44 penalty minutes, which obviously garnered Hughes' attention for the soft bottom six.

Former Rocket forward Alex Belzile rejoined Laval, along with defenseman Nate Clurman on one-year two-way deals.

Hughes made a pair of moves that will impact the affiliate Rocket, bringing back a familiar face in forward Alex Belzile, along with defenseman Nate Clurman on one-year two-way deals, a move to replace Gustav Lindstrom and Mailloux, who have gone their separate ways, and some veteran presence up front, too.

Belzile, the 33-year-old veteran, spent the past two seasons with the Hartford Wolfpack, posting a 50 and 56-point statline. Laval's former captain also sported a letter (A) on his sweater while in Hartford.

Clurman spent the '24-'25 season with Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, minus one game with the NHL club in Pittsburgh. The six-foot-two, 205-pound right-shot defender is just 27 years old, and though his offensive upside is limited, he should provide stout defensive play and value on the penalty kill.

Hughes expressed that, from a management perspective that there is still work to be done, and he will continue fielding and dialing up phone calls to discuss any opportunity that might improve the Canadiens.