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Jul 7, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson (left) and executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton (right) look on before Filip Mesar (not pictured) is selected as the number twenty-six overall pick to the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Canadiens Owner Adamant About Building For Long Term

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI
By Tyler Major-Mcnicol | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 6:00 AM ET

Expectations, both internally and externally, will be for the Montreal Canadiens to take another step forward, and after finishing in the second wildcard spot in 2024-25, addressing all areas to improve the team has been management's goal. They have been transparent about wanting to add, but not at the expense of trading away futures, which they deem part of the bigger picture.

Acquiring Noah Dobson and Zachary Bolduc during the current offseason has been a tremendous achievement by general manager Kent Hughes and his trusted vice president of hockey operations, Jeff Gorton. It wasn't easy to deal with Logan Mailloux and Emil Heineman, who were very much part of the future, but it was two deals that were difficult to pass up.

Hughes and Gorton have been slowly and methodically scouring for new ways to improve the team, and according to Molson, who spoke to the media at the Canadiens' annual golf tournament media session, they are always considering every detail before swinging for a trade that makes sense.

Of this rebuild, team owner Geoff Molson said, “Is it going faster (that expected)? No. Is it going slower? No. It’s just an outstanding performance by Jeff and Kent to have the patience to build and to stay on plan. If we’re not the youngest team, we’re one of the youngest teams in the NHL again this year with a lot of potential. We’re sticking to the plan, but if an opportunity comes to get better quicker that doesn’t impact our plan, that’s a good plan as well."

The Canadiens have been weighing their options, with Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook seeming like the obvious options to fill their vacant second-line center position. But a deal that makes sense enough to pry a top prospect and/or some high draft capital away from the Canadiens can't be deemed impossible.

A year of progression would mean the Canadiens secure a playoff berth sooner, and perhaps even move up to the first wildcard spot, or even shock everybody and grab a top three position in the Atlantic Division. But, most important is to continue winning, and developing players, who follow the culture that has been established by captain Nick Suzuki, and his teammates.

“The expectations are that we provide, as we did last year, an outstanding experience for our fans, but most importantly that we progress and keep building to have a good team for the very long term," Molson said.

Long-term success is going to take precedence over rushing for the short term in a bid to win, which could stunt prospects' growth. Ask any Canadiens player, and they surely want to win a Stanley Cup next year, but management needs to monitor things and make decisions accordingly.

The players have an incredibly tough job, but management's goal of helping achieve success with new additions might be just as difficult.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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