Canadiens Should Use Offer Sheets to Address Needs

During the May 5 end-of-season press conference, Hughes, as well as executive vice president Jeff Gorton, were asked many questions about their upcoming plans. One answer in particular stood out: the fact that Gorton stated he expects to see more offer sheets. This is an avenue that Montreal can exploit to add to its roster. 

Canadiens Have the Assets 

An offer sheet is a contract offered to a restricted free agent (RFA) by a team other than the club that owns their rights. It is an offer made directly to a player who, if they choose to do so, can sign that offer. That triggers a seven-day period for his original team to match the terms and retain him or choose to let him walk away in return for the compensation package.  

Montreal made the playoffs for the first time since 2021, when they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. But they hadn’t earned a playoff berth outside of any changes to divisions or playoff formats since the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2016-17 season. This edition of the Canadiens earned their berth in the final game of their season, earning a meeting with the Eastern Conference leaders, the Washington Capitals. What the 2025 Playoff series against the Capitals demonstrated is that size does make a difference. But size alone is not enough. They also need speed, an ability to play with pace, and a mean streak to find success. In that same press availability, both Gorton and Hughes hinted at adding exactly that, as Gorton identified size and “compete” as essential areas in need of support after such a physical series.

Everyone needs to remember that the deep prospect pool, while a great asset, means that not all of them will make the NHL with the Canadiens; some will be used as trade bait. Also working in Hughes’ favour is that the Canadiens also hold a boatload of draft capital, including all of their own picks over the next three draft years. The million-dollar question is, how to put these pieces together?” Gorton said, “We have some players that we think are knocking on the door — what kind of opportunity are we going to provide them? Can we wait out the summer and give them training camp to earn a spot?”

Canadiens Have Needs 

In the summer of 2024, the St. Louis Blues took advantage of an Edmonton Oilers squad, who had just come from a Stanley Cup Final appearance, that was close to the salary cap ceiling and placed not one, but two offer sheets to fill gaps in their roster, adding defenceman Philip Broberg and centre Dylan Holloway. That is two positions of need that Montreal must address. If they could afford the draft capital to follow through on these moves, so could the Canadiens. Montreal’s lack of a reliable second-line centre behind Nick Suzuki remains an obvious hole that needs to be filled if the club is to take strides towards the next steps to become a playoff contender every year. While Gorton noted that there are other means of improving a team’s top-six without a centre, such as adding a play-driving winger, Montreal already has one in training in 19-year-old forward Ivan Demidov, who could become that elusive 100-point player. 

Montreal has two first-round picks playing in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Laval Rocket, David Reinbacher (2023 fifth overall pick) and Logan Mailloux who could be in the mix to make the NHL roster next season, however, it is unlikely that both will graduate as the Canadiens have to balance adding youth to the lineup while ensuring there is enough experience to allow them to compete for the playoffs next season.

Possible Canadiens Targets 

As noted, Montreal needs a centre. Preferably, one that fits the criteria mentioned above to compete in the playoffs. They have size, a high compete level, an ability to play a physical style, but can also support the team with an ability to add depth scoring and reliable two-way play. It would make for an instant improvement on the team’s special teams as it provides head coach Martin St. Louis options for both the penalty killing unit and the second wave of the power play.

Morgan Geekie 

Morgan Geekie is a 6-foot-3, 203-pound right-handed centre with five NHL seasons under his belt. The 26-year-old is entering the prime production years of a forward, and thanks to the opportunity to play a larger role with more ice time the Boston Bruins afforded him as they traded away their top forwards, he is coming off of a career season, having scored 33 goals and 57 points. He has an ability to play a physical two-way game, but it is his offensive instincts, where Geekie attacks the high-danger areas in front of the net and battles in the corners, that bring the most value for Montreal.

The Bruins forward earned $2 million last season and is due a large raise. Montreal could offer Geekie anything up to $9.16 million and afford the compensation package (a 2026 first, second and third-round pick). While poaching talent from the rival Bruins would be an added bonus, Boston does have almost $28 million in cap space to use for 2025-26 and could easily match. Yet with Elias Lindholm and Casey Mittlestadt making $13.5 million collectively, would they want to add significantly to that position, knowing they are entering a rebuild, or choose to take the draft picks? The real question for Montreal is that worth it? 

On defence, Montreal can’t expect two rookie right-handed defenders to step up from the minors and make an instant impact, especially now that there are expectations on the blue line to play more of a mistake-free style. 

Noah Dobson 

At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, the right-handed Noah Dobson seems to fit into what the Canadiens are building. At 25 years of age, he also fits in the age group of the current core, and with six seasons in the NHL under his belt, he can be one of those youthful veterans who can grow with the core.  

What sets Dobson apart is his effortless skating. He is highly mobile and uses this skill set to his advantage on both sides of the puck. He had been turnover-prone, on a team highly reliant on defensive play to compete, however, many of these turnovers had more to do with his skill set being a square peg in a round hole in the New York Islanders’ defensive-minded system. He is a top pairing defender, more in the mould of a Jeff Petry, as in a defender that uses positioning, reach and mobility to defend instead of brute strength. While he isn’t one to initiate contact, he can play through a physical forechecking style.

When Dobson had his career-high 70-point season in 2023-24, more than one-third of his points came on the power play (PP), something that took a drastic hit as the Islanders’ PP dropped from over 20% in 2023-24 to a pitiful 12.6% in 2024-25. Adding a puck-moving defender to the top pair on the right side could help Montreal’s PP, but also help in their transitional attack at five-on-five, keeping the puck in the offensive zone for longer periods. 

Dobson earned $4 million and is also due a raise going into his next deal. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to see him demand $9 million per season on a long-term deal, which in an RFA offer sheet would fetch a return of a first, second and third-round pick. While the Islanders have ample cap space to match an offer of that magnitude, with the club under new management, they may choose to go towards a rebuilding route. 

While the offer sheet route is one that Gorton sees as being in use more now, it doesn’t necessarily mean the Canadiens will choose it to address their needs. They do hold the assets and cap space to make a splash if they so choose. While there are some high-profile names that could be fits, the more likely route for Montreal remains the trade route.