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Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes talks with head coach Martin St. Louis (Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports)

Canadiens Have Chance to Improve Center Depth After Price Trade

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Trege Wilson | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 8:35 AM ET

It is almost inevitable that the Montreal Canadiens will trade Carey Price’s contract after his signing bonus is paid on Sept. 1. The trade will not only fix their cap overage problem but also leave them with just over $4.5 million in cap space. The next question is what the Habs will do with that extra money, if anything at all. It’s no secret that they need an upgrade at center, but is the money left enough to secure a long-term upgrade, or is it sufficient for a stopgap player?

Moving Price’s Contract Gives More Flexibility

The Canadiens require cap space to remain flexible and make moves to address any roster holes. The most glaring hole is down the middle after Nick Suzuki on the top line; the rest of the center core thins out pretty quickly. Montreal will need to address this if they plan on moving past a potential playoff team and into a bona fide playoff team and potential contender. A second-line center is not always readily available and can be expensive. This is why the Habs need the cap flexibility to even think of making a move to get one. The $4.5 million left when Price is traded isn’t quite enough to acquire a top-six center, but it gives the team a starting position and enough room to move out another player from a position of depth.

Montreal is loaded with left-handed defencemen and needs to make room for younger players on the rise, like David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom. Mike Matheson comes to mind. He is on an expiring contract and is in a position to lose minutes with the rise of Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle, as well as the addition of Noah Dobson in the offseason and Alex Carrier from last season. Moving Matheson would give the organization almost $10 million to acquire a top-six center. The Canadiens may not be able to finalize a deal before the start of the season, but they will have the potential to make one during the season, as they did with Carrier last season. Matheson may also not be moved, but if the Habs want a bona fide top-six center, then more money will have to come off the books, and Matheson is the logical choice.

Hughes Is Always Looking to Improve the Canadiens

Canadiens general manager (GM) Kent Hughes is always looking to improve the team, and he’s very calculated in what deals he makes. Matheson is not the only asset Hughes has to move; he’s just the one that makes the most sense. Hughes could always pull from his depth in the bottom six, especially with the likes of Josh Anderson and Brenden Gallagher. Although their high contracts could be an issue, they are good candidates to move to a team that needs veteran leadership or winger depth. Getting a top-six center, trading Price and moving a roster player doesn’t need to be done all in one or two deals. Hughes could easily make two or three separate deals after moving Price to get what his team needs in the future.

As my colleague Jim Parsons recently mentioned in his article, the Canadiens will likely be looking to acquire a forward, specifically a center. The big question is whether Hughes will pursue a long-term solution now or a stopgap measure until a better opportunity arises. The Canadiens don’t have many top-six centers in their prospect pool, so a long-term solution makes more sense if the right deal can be done. Mason McTavish of the Anaheim Ducks would make the most sense if this is the case, but it would cost Montreal first-round picks and top prospects to get him, not aging veterans with high contracts. This is not to say a McTavish move won’t be done, just that a third trade would have to be done to free up the money to pay the current restricted free agent (RFA).

Canadiens Have Several Potential Trade Targets

Most of the talk around a Price trade is the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks, both of which are close to the cap floor, and both teams have several restricted free agents (RFAs) to sign. Canadiens reporter Marco D’Amico for RG.org mentions the Pittsburgh Penguins as another potential team to acquire Price’s contract, a team headed for a rebuild. Any trade involving Price would involve mostly picks or prospects going either way, with Montreal probably having to pay more.

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price looks back after being scored on. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes)

For any alternative trade after the Price move, the Canadiens still need to determine what they are looking for at this point. McTavish makes the most sense due to being under 25 years old and having top potential, but it will be costly. The Habs can afford to start trading assets and picks to improve the team, as their rebuild is essentially over. Another center that could be available is Pavel Zacha of the Boston Bruins. He’s older at 28, but has two years remaining on his contract at $4.7 million, which is the perfect time to see if young prospect Michael Hage is a good fit in the top six. Also from the Bruins is 26-year-old Casey Mittelstadt, who also has two years left on his contract, but is $1 million more than Zacha. The Canadiens could also look into Jason Dickinson, a 30-year-old center who is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA).

If you are a dreamer and believe miracles happen, you can make the case that if Price goes to the Penguins, maybe Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin are part of a return package, but I’m more likely to get traded to the Habs than that happening. I wouldn’t hold my breath for a multitude of trades to go down after the Price move. I can see Hughes and company taking their time to get the right player for the needs of the team. Either way, it should be an exciting month for Montreal with lots of rumours and maybe even a deal or two.