Top Canadiens Storylines Set to Define Their 2025 Offseason

You don’t need to look too far to see that the NHL offseason is well underway. Even before the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup, teams were already conducting business, making big trades and signing key players — free agents even, technically ahead of the July 1 start to free agency.

Some moves have impacted the Montreal Canadiens, albeit indirectly. However, general manager Kent Hughes has stayed quiet. That’s going to change to a degree, even if simply because it has to, as the Habs do at least have a few things to get done, in what could still end up being a relatively uneventful summer.

With the Canadiens having taken a massive step forward in 2024-25 towards eventual contention, the hope is that it won’t, though. So, fans will be waiting on bated breath for shoes to drop, for example with regard to:

What Hughes Will Do at the Draft

As alluded to, one way or another the Canadiens will be active at the Draft. They will either use their 16th and 17th-overall picks or trade some combination of them on July 27.

For context, reporter Chris Johnston of The Athletic included them on his offseason trade board as potential chips (including defensive prospect Logan Mailloux) to conceivably shore up areas of the roster needing attention. For more context, making a splash at the Draft wouldn’t be uncharted territory for Hughes.

Flash back to 2022, when Hughes acquired Kirby Dach for two picks (including a first-round one) in the hopes that he would become the team’s much-needed second-line centre. A year later, as if to hedge his bets, he made another splash leading up to the event, when he traded two more picks (including a late first) for another (theoretical) centre in Alex Newhook.

Flash forward two years and neither player has unfortunately worked out down the middle. To illustrate the point, Dach just suffered a second straight season-ending knee injury (to the same knee), opening up a huge hole that Hughes will have to fill somehow. It could be internally, with a prospect like Oliver Kapanen or (eventually) Michael Hage, in whom the Canadiens seem to see a future star. However, with the Habs suddenly under the gun to build on a playoff finish, it makes sense for them to pursue someone who’s established.

Who the Canadiens Will Sign Come Free Agency

So, the question becomes, are the Canadiens going to make a trade or pursue a free agent (or neither)? To be clear, the Habs are going to sign someone. In order of arguable priority, goalie Jakub Dobes, forward Emil Heineman and defenseman Jayden Struble are each restricted free agents, and that’s not to mention any Laval Rocket mainstays on expiring contracts (including Cayden Primeau, whose saga is maybe a storyline in and of itself).

Furthermore, you’ve got current-Canadiens forwards Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak and Michael Pezzetta who are each pending unrestricted free agents. It’s unlikely the Canadiens re-sign any of the three, with replacements having to come from somewhere.

Technically, the Canadiens can ice a complete lineup if prospects Kapanen, Joshua Roy and Owen Beck each permanently transition to the NHL up front. The idea may even appeal to some, but with standards now higher it’s easy to imagine Hughes wanting to add some veteran leadership to what was already one of the youngest teams in the league.

Considering the hole down the middle, killing two birds with one stone would be an understandable course of action. That opens the door in theory to Hughes pursuing a veteran like Claude Giroux, who could be interested (from ‘Talks continue between Senators and Claude Giroux as Ottawa’s off-season heats up,’ Ottawa Citizen, June 18, 2025). Giroux is coming off a 50-point season, fairly successful at taking face-offs, and 37. So, he’s unlikely to require a commitment beyond a few seasons, which should align with Hage’s development.

When Hutson Will Sign an Extension

All that to say, Hughes definitely has a tightrope to walk this offseason. He has to balance the need for sustained success in the present while keeping an eye on how the team continues to take shape for the future. He can similarly kill two birds with one stone by extending super-rookie Lane Hutson, which can officially happen as soon as July 1.