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The Habs prepare to complete a mid-season transaction

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Oct 7, 2025 5:10 PM ET

This summer, the Canadiens made two big trades. Kent Hughes acquired Noah Dobson from the Islanders on the first day of the 2025 draft… and a few days later, the Canadiens’ GM made a move and picked up Zachary Bolduc from St. Louis.But that’s all it took, even if the Habs’ plan was to get their hands on a player who could play at the center of the second line. That’s not to say, however, that we can’t expect to see the Canadiens make a trade this past season. We saw proof of this last year, when the Habs brought Alexandre Carrier from Nashville to solidify the right side of their defensive brigade, and everything points to another move between now and Christmas. Marco D’Amico wrote about it(RG Media): The Habs are gearing up to complete a mid-season trade.

According to NHL sources and long-time salary cap observers, Montreal management sees December as the true start of the trade season. And that’s no coincidence.

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Marco D’Amico

“They’re positioning themselves to be ready to pounce.”

The Canadiens’ 22-man roster decision is about maximizing cap space to help improve the roster before the Trade Deadline-and possibly as early as the NHL Trade Freeze. More from @mndamico https://t.co/ywgDztgMo8– RG (@TheRGMedia) October 7, 2025

The fact that the Habs kept 22 players to complete the season (instead of 23) translates into several million dollars of effective buying power saved for later in the season.

This will allow Kent Hughes to be more aggressive on the trade market… without necessarily needing to wait until the deadline in order to make a move. And what’s interesting, too, is the fact that Hughes has the elements in place to do something big. The Canadiens have a number of top picks and quality prospects… and that’s enough to help the Canadiens’ GM get really creative with his moves. So you’d expect a lot of movement.

If the Habs feel that Dach, Kapanen, Evans, Veleno and Newhook (all of whom could get reps at center) aren’t delivering the goods, maybe the idea of making a move to improve depth at that level will be on the table. Because, as we know, the Habs wanted another quality center this summer.

New contract, new Jokes for Connor McDavid pic.twitter.com/Hc8iSoFolv

– BarDown (@BarDown) October 7, 2025

– Really!

FINALLY, REGULR SEASON NHL HOCKEY TONIGHT!!!

– NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) October 7, 2025

– Yeah.

But don’t count on it. https://t.co/FIR103peDf –

Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) October 7, 2025

– Too bad

Moses Bombito re-injured, broken tibia, will miss 4-5 months, won’t be there this Friday in Montreal. His presence at the World Cup is not compromised. https://t.co/Z33wTvZPaq –

Jeremy Filosa (@JeremyFilosa) October 7, 2025