Free Agent Focus: Montreal Canadiens

F Kirby Dach – The Canadiens acquired Dach four years ago in a three-way swap on draft night with the hopes that they had found the elusive second-line center they’ve needed.  Today, they still have that need and there remain plenty of question marks with the 2019 third-overall selection.  Over his time in Montreal, he has missed more games (174) than he has played (154) and the results have been inconsistent when he has played.  Notably, he’s owed a $4MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights this summer.  It’s hard to think that they’re ready to give him that but working something out before the June 29th tender deadline that’s a little cheaper could still be doable.  Otherwise, it’s fair to wonder if his time with the team will be coming to an end.  He is a wild card to keep an eye on.

D Arber Xhekaj – Xhekaj showed some potential four seasons ago in his rookie year but things have largely plateaued since then if not gone in the opposite direction.  His playing time dropped to just 11:25 per night during the regular season and only 8:06 in the playoffs when he was in the lineup.  With just four points in 65 outings as basically an even-strength-only player, he should be in line for only a nominal raise on his $1.3MM qualifying offer.  However, with arbitration rights and 246 career NHL games (regular season and playoffs under his belt), he might be able to make a reasonable case to push past $2MM in a hearing if it gets to that point.

F Joe Veleno – Veleno came over last summer via unrestricted free agency after his contract was bought out by Seattle and played a limited role when he was in the lineup.  He’s owed a $945K qualifying offer which is certainly reasonable for a fourth liner but it would come with arbitration eligibility.  With 367 regular season games over his career, he’d have a fairly strong case in a hearing for a hefty raise, one that the Canadiens won’t want to give him.  Either he signs a deal before June 29th or he’ll be non-tendered.

Other RFAs: F Jake Chiasson, F Jared Davidson, F Sean Farrell, D Gannon Laroque, F Joshua Roy, F Luke Tuch, D William Trudeau

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Samuel Blais – Blais was up in the NHL for around half the season after bouncing around on waivers, going to Toronto first and then back to Montreal.  He was reasonably productive in limited minutes, notching eight points in 21 games along with 78 hits.  He’ll likely be hoping to land somewhere with a shot to stick at the back of the roster.  Failing that, his AHL production (38 points in 35 games) should be good enough to secure another one-way contract at a minimum.

F Patrik Laine – It’s safe to say that Laine’s addition didn’t work out how Montreal hoped when they added him in the 2024 offseason.  After an injury-limited first season with the team (where he still managed 15 power play goals in 52 games), a core muscle injury limited him to just five games this season and plenty of questions.  Laine suggested that he was ready to return but GM Kent Hughes indicated Laine had settled into a mindset that he wouldn’t.  Either way, the injuries make him eligible to receive performance incentives on a one-year contract.  That might be the best option for both sides.  If Laine is healthy and productive, he could provide plenty of short-term value in the hopes of landing a richer deal next summer.  There’s enough upside that several teams should be willing to make an offer like that with a lower base salary and a few million in incentives.

Other UFAs: F Alex Belzile, D Nathan Clurman, D Marc Del Gaizo, G Kaapo Kahkonen, G Hunter Shepard

Projected Cap Space

At the moment, the Canadiens project to have a little under $11MM of cap space to work with, enough to re-sign Bolduc and Dach if they want to but not do much else.  If they’re able to move the final year and $6.5MM of Brendan Gallagher’s contract and deal Samuel Montembeault ($3.15MM), they could be able to become more aggressive on the trade and free agent front in the coming weeks.

Photos courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports (Dach) and Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images (Laine). Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.