Montreal Canadiens Role Profiles: Josh Anderson

There is no other forward on the Montreal Canadiens that brings as much sandpaper and grit as the 6-foot-3, 226-pound Anderson. If the Canadiens learned anything from the 2026 postseason, it’s that having some sandpaper in their bottom six and having big players that can be physical, skate well, and chip in offensively is very important. Right now, Anderson is the only player on the team that fits all the criteria for the perfect bottom-six winger in the playoffs. It is also why he was among the top goal scorers for the Montreal Canadiens during the postseason, despite getting banged up early on.

The Montreal Canadiens drafted Russian forward and hitting machine Gleb Pugachyov 26th overall in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. He will surely either help Anderson with the responsibility of making the forward group tough to play against, or Pugachyov could be the plan to replace the veteran after the 2026-27 season.

Yes, this upcoming season could very well be the last of Anderson in a Montreal Canadiens uniform, but there are a lot of reasons to bring him back. My colleague JD Lagrange recently wrote a piece on why the Canadiens should consider re-signing Anderson after the 2026-27 season and nailed it.

Over the last two years, Anderson has found himself playing a more defensive role, despite initially being brought in to play in the top-six for the Canadiens. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay consistent enough to live up to the money that he was getting, and therefore, Anderson had times where it significantly weighed down his play. He did have a 21-goal season with the Canadiens during the 2022-23 campaign, thanks to his speed and shot. However, he lacked the offensive awareness to truly be a second-line forward. This is why his play started to crumble during the 2023-24 season as he wasn’t able to live up to the expectations put on him.

Luckily, head coach Martin St. Louis started to use him more on the penalty kill and have his speedy power forward focus on the defensive side of the game more, which brought the best out of Anderson. Anderson has thrived in a shutdown role alongside fellow veteran forwards Phillip Danault and Jake Evans (depending on who his centre is throughout the season). Using his speed has allowed him to create breakouts on the penalty kill as well as be a dangerous threat to force turnovers. Anderson has become a very responsible player that the Canadiens can rely on late in games to help maintain a lead.

Heading into the 2026-27 season, the Montreal Canadiens have to fill an alternate captain spot with the departure of Brendan Gallagher to the Vancouver Canucks. There is a good chance that Anderson will be filling that leadership void, as he was the one to wear an A on his sweater during the postseason when Gallagher was a healthy scratch. Even if Anderson isn’t given the “A” permanently, he will still be counted on to be a leader as one of the most NHL-experienced veterans on the Canadiens roster.

For this upcoming season, Anderson won’t play the flashiest roles on the team, but he will still be an important part of the success of the Montreal Canadiens throughout the 2026-27 season.