Montreal Canadiens Make Josh Anderson An Alternate Captain

“I am truly honored to be named an assistant captain of the Montreal Canadiens,” Anderson told the media on Monday.

The 32-year-old winger is entering his seventh and final season of a seven-year $37.5 million contract that he signed with the Canadiens back on October 8th, 2020. He currently has the third longest tenure of any Montreal Canadiens player on the roster behind only Jake Evans and Suzuki. (Phillip Danault lost his tenure when he left for the Los Angeles Kings in the 2021 off-season. It also seems as though, the veteran forward would like to stick around longer with the Canadiens.

“This city is incredible, my daughter was born here, I’m close to home. I can see myself staying in Montreal, I think talks for a contract extension could start soon,” Anderson said.

Whether or not Anderson gets re-signed past this upcoming season remains to be seen. However, being given a letter on his jersey could be an indication that the Montreal Canadiens are ready to commit to him for a couple more seasons on a more team-friendly deal. My colleague JD Lagrange wrote a great piece earlier this summer about why the Canadiens should consider re-signing Anderson, and his leadership was a focal point.

Anderson was originally acquired by the Montreal Canadiens in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Max Domi on October 6th, 2020.

Last year, Anderson scored 14 goals and nine assists for 23 points in 72 regular season games with the Montreal Canadiens. During the postseason, he added five goals and seven points in 19 games during the Canadiens’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they ultimately lost to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes in five games.

The Burlington, Ontario, native has played a total of 421 regular season games with the Canadiens so far, where he scored 95 goals and 63 assists for 158 points. During the playoffs, he has scored a total of 10 goals and 14 points in 46 postseason games.

Do you think Anderson will re-sign with the Montreal Canadiens now that he is a key member of the leadership group?