Category: NHL

Arber Xhekaj could have filed for arbitration, but he chose not to, and that’s likely part of the reason why Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes is getting calls about the gritty defenseman. According to BPM Sports and RG.org’s Marco D’Amico, multiple teams have called to enquire about the supersized defenseman. At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, the blueliner of Albanian descent brings a special mix of skills to the table but is one of the victims of the congestion at the Habs’ blueline.

Clearly, the organization is aware of what it had in Xhekaj and what he can bring to the table, but there seems to be a bit of a disconnect between what the executives think about the eldest Xhekaj and what the bench boss thinks. While Hughes has always been firm about not wanting to trade him away, Martin St-Louis barely uses him when he dresses him. The big defender didn’t see a single game of action in the third round of the playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes, and in his last game against the Buffalo Sabres, he spent only 1:52 on the ice.

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While Xhekaj is a great teammate who never complains about the situation, the fact that he didn’t file for arbitration, which means he remains eligible to offer sheets, suggests he’d be willing to go somewhere where he’d see more action. The Canadiens already have four left-shot defensemen signed for the upcoming season in Mike Matheson, Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle and Jayden Struble. That’s not even taking into account the fact that Adam Engstrom is knocking on the big league’s door. Matheson, Hutson and Guhle are all signed long-term.

It would be easier for Xhekaj if he were a right-shot rear guard, but he isn’t, and he did look 100% comfortable when the Habs tried to play him on his off-side. Noah Dobson is the only right-shot who’s signed long-term with the Canadiens. The organization hopes that David Reinbacher will be able to graduate to the NHL this season, while Alex Carrier will be playing the last year of his deal. Russian right-shot prospect Bogdan Konyushkov has also been signed this offseason. While he will spend the season in the KHL, the plan is for him to come over afterwards, and he, too, could challenge for a spot in the lineup for the 2027-28 season.

It’s more than likely that Xhekaj’s representatives want to know what the plan is for him in the organization, but they’re not having the conversation with the right people. The GM can sign you to a contract, but he cannot guarantee how much ice time you will get. That’s up to the coach. It’s a tricky situation Xhekaj finds himself in. There’s no doubt that he likes the team and where it’s headed, especially since his brother could soon make the jump to the NHL, but if he thinks about his future as an NHL player, it may be better for him to land on a team that won’t be reluctant to both use and trust him.

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The Islanders and NHL offseason news has generally slowed to a crawl, but their former captain had his formal introduction to Salt Lake City media, and we have salary arbitration dates for those who’ve filed around the league.

So there’s that.

Islanders News

• 7 Things About: Get to know new depth signing Matthew Kessel, who’s 6’3” but doesn’t come off as a big defenseman, really. [Isles]
• Anders Lee and Vincent Trocheck are both happy to be on the same side in Utah instead of facing each other in New York. [Newsday | Post]
• I know you’re on pins and needles, Alex Jefferies’ salary arbitration date is set for July 30. [Puck Pedia]

Elsewhere

• One offseason question for each team. The Islanders one is kind of a punt. [Sportsnet]
• Post-career care for alumni has long been a priority for Glenn Healy, who announced the NHLPA’s wellness program for any player who’s played a shift in the NHL. [NHL]
• Is Elias Pettersson an intriguing buy-low candidate, or expensive damaged goods? [TSN]
• John Davidson and Jarmo Kekalainen reunite once again, with the latter bringing the ex-goalie and broadcaster to the Sabres. [NHL]

Last summer we highlighted potential surprise players for the Penguins with a spotlight on Filip Hallander (no), Harrison Brunicke (kinda but not really), Alex Alexeyev (no) and Arturs Silovs (yep). 1.5 out of four is a .375 batting average that would look pretty good in baseball, at least. With hindsight, there were no shortage of players who ended up being major positive surprises like Kindel, Parker Wotherspoon, Anthony Mantha, Justin Brazeau and Ryan Shea at the top, with the total number impressive performances exceeding expectations stretching all over the lineup. Finding basically a point per game winger in Egor Chinakhov wasn’t one that many had in the sights either at this time last season, showing that the best surprises are ones that aren’t even on the radar ahead of time.

With that in mind, who could be some players that make a major mark on next season? For this, I’m not going to consider Sergei Murashov – most expect he will be in the NHL and while it would be a surprise if he plays at a high level, it’s not exactly out of the range of possibilities that no one would have expected. That’s too easy of a development to see on the horizon to stretch the surprise element. I’m not going to go with Andrei Kuzmenko either, though he might have a large impact on the season since he’s a guy with a 39-goal, 74-point NHL season under his belt. Seeing him producing points when given an opportunity wouldn’t be a shock, even though it would be a nice development if he performs a little better than the general expectation.

Declan Carlile

It isn’t going out on a huge limb to point out that Carlile will have the opportunity to make a big impact, but this is the showcase example of probably the casual fan looking up in the middle of the year and thinking ‘wow who is this guy’. The Penguins have a history of success when it comes to plucking defenders out of obscurity and see their stocks rise as a result, with Wotherspoon and Shea being prime recent examples. Carlile, as one of the few NHL caliber left defenders with the organization, should be in-line for as big of a role as he can handle. His underlying metrics show that he just might have some potential for a Wotherspoon-esque glow up. For a surprise, Carlile would have to slot in as a top-four matchup defender and handle it pretty well. There’s no guarantee that will happen (even though he’s carrying a decent amount of excitement and hope), Carlile has only 46 career games under his belt and has never spent a full season in the NHL at this point. Then again, like Wotherspoon, Carlile could find himself practicing in September with Erik Karlsson – possibly never to surrender that spot for the balance of the season.

Hendrix Lapierre

It seems like Lapierre is very tertiary in the eyes of many right now, nearly forgotten given all the other, flashier acquisitions of the summer. A surprise for him would be getting a jersey consistently and making a positive impact. He’s done that at times in his career already, and he can also play center – a position that isn’t exactly very impressive or settled on the team right now. Not sure this will be a surprise in the vain of finding a 50-point player this season, but considering expectations are pretty low for this player this is more of a ‘buy low’ guess that it won’t be too hard to clear the bar of what most have in mind at the moment. I could see Lapierre being a guy that suddenly you see has played 60+ games and made a couple plays along the way. (Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it’s not like he’ll have to be Kucherov to be a surprise, given the manner he’s mostly thought of on the internet).

Nick Robertson

The Penguins might not get the NHL star Robertson brother, but similar to Lapierre’s case, I think expectations and excitement for the Robertson they did get recently is too far on the low end for where it should be. Despite a lack of ice time and steady progression in Toronto, Nick Robertson has been a productive player. He’s scored 31 goals in the last two seasons, he’s figured a little something out. The Pens are a bit overstocked (for the moment anyways) with a ton of scoring-line wingers like Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell to presumably go with Chinakhov and Evgeni Malkin, so it’s also a case of wondering just how and where Robertson fits in at the moment. Be it through injury, performance, a trade or some other variable that hasn’t happened yet, here’s to guessing Nick Robertson has a big year for the Penguins. It’s within reason that he scores 20 goals and gets over 40 points without the benefit of a ton of power play time, which just might be surprising the fan base at-large when they look up in January or February and realize that this has become a key player on the squad.

Bill Zonnon

Gotta dare to dream on this one, since Zonnon, 20 in October, will just be in his first pro season next year. This could be premature, he’s probably better off being a solid candidate for a surprise in 2027-28. But hey, summer’s the time to live a little. It’s going to be a long season of now 84 games, and the Penguins dressed 25 different forwards last season for one reason or another. For whatever you want to say about them, Pittsburgh is a team that isn’t afraid to call a player up from the AHL and see what he’s got for a game or two. Zonnon took to the AHL like a fish to water by scoring a goal in each of the first three playoff games he played as a pro this spring. He’s got great wheels and a knack for going to the net, and is also a center. Zonnon will have to prove himself in Wilkes and then have the door opened (probably by injuries at the position, stay the thought!) so maybe in some ways it would be nice enough if he’s not seeing NHL action in 2026-27. But as Ben Kindel showed last year, if a player can make a good enough impression and keep making things happen, an NHL look isn’t out of the question.

Mikhail Ilyin

Similar to the Zonnon case, it might be a stretch to figure too strongly on Ilyin getting an opportunity in 2026-27. Like Zonnon, Ilyin also flashed in the AHL playoffs (nine points in 15 games) in basically his first taste of North American hockey after playing five AHL regular season games. The 21-year old was a historically good point-producer at a young age in the KHL, he’s succeeded at every level by showing the playmaking and hockey IQ chops that can’t be denied. It won’t be a surprise to see Ilyin blossom into a pretty good AHL player in 2026-27, it can be easy to try and hope that gets accelerated into some sort of NHL impact. We’ll see, but it’s a name to keep in mind somewhere as a potential candidate for a player that might be able to step up and make a name for himself if the conditions are just right.

A former Philadelphia Flyers defenseman is heading to the Detroit Red Wings, as Ronnie Attard has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Original Six club. 

Attard spent this past season in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles, where he recorded three goals, 17 points, and 38 penalty minutes in 44 games. This was after he had seven goals, 10 assists, 17 points, and 80 penalty minutes in 66 AHL games split between the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and the Bakersfield Condors during the 2024-25 season. 

Attard was selected by the Flyers in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, 72nd overall. The 6-foot-3 defenseman was once considered one of the Flyers' most promising prospect blueliners, but was never able to cement himself as a full-time NHL defenseman with the Metropolitan Division club. 

In 29 games over three seasons with the Flyers from 2021-22 to 2023-24, Attard posted two goals, four assists, six points, 33 blocks, and 49 hits. His time with the Flyers ended during the 2024-25 season when he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Ben Gleason. 

Attard has not played at the NHL level since being traded by the Flyers. Perhaps he could change things on that front next season with the Red Wings. 

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As part of his offseason roster overhaul, Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman added some scoring punch by signing unrestricted free-agent forward Viktor Arvidsson.

He also bolstered the team's physical presence in the bottom six by acquiring forward Keegan Kolesar and added goaltending depth by signing Daniil Tarasov. 

Now, Yzerman has added another new face to the organization with ties to the Mitten State.

Defenseman Ronnie Attard, who spent last season with the American Hockey League's Colorado Eagles while under contract with the Avalanche, has been signed to a one-year, two-way contract. 

WELCOME RONNIE‼️

The #RedWings have signed Ronnie Attard to a one-year, two-way contract. pic.twitter.com/RVUOEGUaWH

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 14, 2026

The 6'4", 210 lb. Attard is the latest depth addition to agree to a one-year contract with the Red Wings. Detroit has also added forwards Chase Stillman, Cameron Butler, and Wilmer Skoog this offseason, along with defenseman Jacob Bryson.

A native of White Lake Township, Michigan, Attard played youth hockey with the Honeybaked AAA program before moving on to the USHL's Tri-City Storm.

The Philadelphia Flyers selected Attard in the third round (72nd overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, though he returned to Michigan to attend Western Michigan University; he spent the next three seasons skating with the Broncos before turning pro.

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Attard would make his NHL debut with the Flyers in the 2022-23 season, skating in two games while also appearing in 68 games with the AHL affiliate Leigh Valley Phantoms. 

His time with the Flyers organization came to a close in late 2024 when he was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Ben Gleason. He'd play the remainder of the campaign with the AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors, scoring seven goals with 10 assists in 59 games. 

Last July, he signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Avalanche, and appeared in 44 games with the AHL's Colorado Eagles, scoring three goals with 14 assists. He also added two goals in four Calder Cup Playoff games. 

Overall, Attard has skated in 29 career NHL contests, and has two goals with four assists. 

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Last off-season, the Montreal Canadiens acquired forward Zachary Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Logan Mailloux. This was one of the NHL's most intriguing trades of last summer, as it involved two first-round picks from the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. 

Bolduc had an up-and-down first season with the Canadiens, but it was still a solid year overall for the 23-year-old forward. In 78 games with the Atlantic Division club, he posted 12 goals, 18 assists, 30 points, and a career-high 170 hits. With numbers like these, the young forward provided some secondary offensive production and plenty of grit. He also had three goals and seven points in 19 playoff games for Montreal.

Yet, Bolduc did see a slight decrease in offense during his first season with the Habs. This is because he posted career highs with 19 goals, 17 assists, and 36 points in 72 games with the Blues during the 2024-25 season. Due to this, it will be interesting to see if the 6-foot forward could increase his offensive production next season for the Canadiens.

With Bolduc still being in his early 20s and in the early stages of his NHL career, it is very possible that he has not hit his ceiling yet. Because of this, the possibility of him hitting at least the 20-goal and 40-point marks next season should not be ruled out. If he does, it would be big for a Canadiens club that is looking to be top contenders in 2026-27. 

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Former Detroit Red Wings defenseman, a Dearborn Heights, Michigan native who played college hockey with the Western Michigan Broncos, has officially decided to hang up his skates.

Oesterle, 34, announced his retirement from the NHL after having skated in 409 career games, 97 of which were spent with the Red Wings between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. 

Jordan, you showed the hockey world that hard work pays off. From going undrafted as a college free agent to creating a 12 year pro hockey career, there's no doubt you left your impact on the game and serve as an inspiration to others looking to follow in your footsteps.… pic.twitter.com/4Vd4Z0ixlf

— O2K Sports Management (@o2ksports) July 13, 2026

Never drafted into the NHL, Oesterle signed an entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers in 2014, and would skate in 25 total games with the organization while mostly playing in the American Hockey League before joining the Chicago Blackhawks in 2017. 

Eventually, the Blackhawks traded him along with the contract of former Red Wings forward Marian Hossa to the Arizona Coyotes in July 2018. 

Oesterle then took the opportunity to play for his hometown team, inking a two-year, $2.7 million contract with the Red Wings in the summer of 2021. During his time with Detroit, he tallied a total of four goals with 15 assists. 

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Following his time with the Red Wings, Oesterle would suit up for the Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins, and Nashville Predators. 

Ultimately, he registered 23 goals and 73 assists in 409 career regular season games, while adding a goal with three assists in nine Stanley Cup Playoff games. 

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The National Hockey League community loves comparing draft prospects to current players. Right now, every undersized offensive defenseman gets the comparison to Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens. 

Hutson is a small defenseman who is a top-five offensive player at that position, and he is only a few years into his NHL career. The Montreal Canadiens were able to snag Hutson with a second-round (62nd overall) pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and his size played a huge role in him falling that far. 

When he started to dominate at Boston University after being drafted, the other 31 teams started to realize the mistake that they made letting him get outside of the top five, let alone well into the second round. 

In his first NHL season, 2024-25, Hutson won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie. One year later, 2025-26, Hutson had 12 goals and 66 assists for 78 points, and was good for 6th place in the Norris Trophy voting. He has also played in all 82 games both years. 

During the 2026 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks selected a player named Xavier Villenueve, who fits a similar draft year profile. As an offensive defenseman, he stands at 5'11" and 163 lbs. It may be trendy to compare Villenueve to Hutson, but the tools are there to make it an accurate statement. 

Would it be unfair to expect the young Blackhawks prospect to turn into a superstar quickly, as Hutson has? Of course it would be. However, you can expect him to develop into a player who can make the Blackhawks a better team thanks to his similar skill set.

"The skill-set I have is pretty rare, without being too cocky," Villenueve said after being drafted. My smartness and my feet help me get over (his size). I'm pretty confident."

If you don't believe you can overcome your size, which is mostly out of your control as a player, it will be even more difficult to make it in the NHL. Villenueve doesn't lack confidence, clearly. 

There are plenty of people outside of him and his family who believe in him as well, including Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson and Director of Scouting Mike Doneghey.

"His only downfall is that he's 5'11," Doneghey said. "What if he were 6'1"? Well, then he's probably (near the) top of the class. He's in that top-10 skill set with the guys who went (in the first round)."

Like Hutson, Villeneuve will go to Boston University. There, he is sure to gain some weight while also developing his skills. Every offensive defenseman has that worry surrounding them when it comes to their defensive game, but the NCAA will be good for him in that regard.

After that, Villeneuve will have to adapt to the pro game while finding what works in the attacking zone. Playing under Jay Pandolfo at BU will be incredible for him as he learns what will be necessary to succeed. 

It looks less and less likely that Kevin Korchinski is going to be a long-term player every day. With Bowen Byram now in the mix, along with some other highly drafted defensemen in the system, can Villenueve fill that void as the offensive defenseman Kyle Davidson was looking for? That's a question that will have a lot more clarity in the next 24 months. 

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The Detroit Red Wings' farm system saw one of its most notable breakout performances in recent memory this past season in winger John Leonard, who dominated at the AHL level for the Grand Rapids Griffins. 

The 27-year-old finished the year with 33 goals and 21 assists for 54 points in just 47 games, leading the Griffins in scoring during a record-breaking season for the franchise and earning a spot on the AHL's Second All-Star Team for the second consecutive year.

When Leonard finally got extended NHL minutes, he made the most of them too, recording two goals and two assists for four points across 11 games with Detroit over a pair of recalls. It was enough to have some believing he could carve out a role in the bottom of Detroit's lineup, and he'll need to bring that same level of production next season as he enters a contract year, having signed a one-year extension in April.

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Detroit could look to give the former San Jose Sharks sixth-round pick, 182nd overall in 2018, an extended NHL look this coming season. Leonard has been an AHL standout for years now, first with Charlotte and now Grand Rapids, but hasn't gotten a real, extended chance at the NHL level since his rookie season back in 2021-22, when he was still in the San Jose organization. 

John Leonard wastes no time getting the Wings on the board 💪 pic.twitter.com/sScCQn1qFF

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 20, 2025

Since then, he bounced through Nashville and Arizona before signing with Detroit last summer, using a career-high 36-goal season in Charlotte to earn his one-way deal.

If Leonard can't find his way into a full-time role with the Red Wings this season, the hope internally would likely be that Detroit can either finally carve out a spot for him in the bottom six or, if that doesn't materialize, find a trade partner willing to give him the full-time NHL opportunity he's earned through his AHL production.

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The Detroit Red Wings will have plenty of interesting questions to sort out with their lineup heading into next season, and one of the more compelling ones centers on hard-checking winger Carter Mazur.

The 24-year-old Jackson, Michigan native has long been vocal about his dream of representing his hometown team, and when Detroit declined to extend him a qualifying offer on June 30th, it briefly looked like that dream might be over. 

However, on July 1st, Detroit brought Mazur back on a two-year, $1.75 million contract carrying an $875,000 average annual value, giving the former Denver Pioneer another shot at cracking the roster of the only team he's ever wanted to play for.

Mazur's production has been trending in the right direction when he's been healthy enough to play. This past season, injuries limited him to 16 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, but he made the most of them, posting 11 goals and five assists for 16 points, a point-per-game pace, before adding six points in eight Calder Cup playoff games. 

His strong finish earned him a late-season call-up to Detroit, where he got his first extended look at the NHL level, appearing in eight games. The results were quiet on the scoresheet, with no points and a minus-three rating.

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However, it's worth noting Mazur plays a physical, hard-checking style that tends to matter more on the forecheck than on the stat sheet, and with Detroit looking to add more grit to its bottom six, he could carve out a spot there if he can find a way to start translating his AHL scoring into NHL production. 

His modest $875,000 cap hit makes him a low-risk, cost-effective option for a fourth-line role, one where he could occasionally chip in offensively while providing the physical edge the Red Wings have said they want more of. The biggest question, as it has been for two seasons now, is health. 

Mazur's development has been repeatedly interrupted by injuries, including a dislocated elbow just seconds into his first career NHL shift and a lower-body injury that cost him much of this past season before he returned to post a point-per-game stretch in Grand Rapids. 

If he can stay on the ice and have a productive summer, the former third round pick certainly shouldn't be ruled out of Detroit's plans when training camp and preseason arrive. It will likely come down to whether he can finally stay healthy long enough to show what he's capable of at the NHL level.

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A former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman is hanging up the skates, as Jordan Oesterle has retired from professional hockey. O2K Sports Management announced the news. 

Oesterle's retirement comes after he posted 14 goals, 32 assists, and 46 points in 69 AHL games for the Milwaukee Admirals last season. He also played one game for the Nashville Predators in 2025-26. 

Oesterle was a member of the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2017-18 season. In 55 games with the Original Six club during that campaign, he recorded five goals, 10 assists, 15 points, 62 hits, and 97 blocks. His time in Chicago ended when he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in a multi-player deal during the 2018 NHL off-season.  

Following his time with the Blackhawks, Oesterle had stints with the Coyotes, Detroit Red Wings, Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins, and Predators. In 409 career NHL games over 12 seasons, the 6-foot blueliner recorded 23 goals, 73 assists, and 96 points. 

As Travis Green gets set for his third season as Senators head coach, it's easy to forget he enjoyed a long and successful NHL playing career of his own.

The hockey world was reminded of that on Saturday night when Green was inducted into British Columbia's Hockey Hall of Fame. Green entered the Hall with former NHLers Andrew Ladd, Josh Gorges and Darryl Reaugh (builder category), along with former NHL referee Malcolm Ashford (official) and the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 Vernon Vipers of the BCHL (team).

After the inductees were announced, Green was asked about the honour and was briefly at a loss for words.

"Man, I don't even know if it's really sunk in yet," Green told the Donnie and DhaliI podcast in his appearance last month. "I think the first thing that comes to mind is humbling. You know, as a kid growing up in Castlegar, I pretty well only dreamed about playing in the NHL.

"Never once did I dream of being in the Hall of Fame. Even when they called me, it was, it was humbling. It's just a great honour."

As a player, he appeared in 970 NHL games in a career that took him to the New York Islanders, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Anaheim again, and then Toronto again. 

Green finished with 193 goals and 455 points over 14 NHL seasons, and his two years in Toronto placed him right in the line of fire in the Battle of Ontario. Green didn't mind the villain's role, and always let the Senators know he was there.

While Green was honoured on Saturday for his playing career, he's also putting together an impressive NHL coaching resume.

The Senators' season opener this fall will be Green's 500th regular-season game as an NHL head coach. His career record is 230-216-53.

When he was hired in 2024, the Sens hadn't made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2017, but Green helped them finally end that drought with postseason appearances in both 2025 and 2026. Those seasons, based on won-loss record, are the best of Green's coaching career so far.

The next step is to see if he can turn the Senators into a legitimate contender.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This story was first published by The Hockey News. For full Senators coverage, check out the links below and become a member at THN.com/Ottawa.

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Phillip Danault and Josh Anderson are not the only two veterans Montreal Canadiens playing in their contract year; Alexandre Carrier and Samuel Montembeault will also be playing for new deals when the puck drops on the season.

If Montembeault felt he put too much pressure on himself last year with the possibility of making Team Canada for the Olympics, one can wonder if playing for a new deal, or better yet, competing to play for a new deal, won’t have the same effect. The netminder is coming off a disastrous season, which saw him go down to the AHL on a conditioning stint, come back up to the NHL only to fail to perform again before being sent to the press gallery for the rest of the season and the playoffs in early March.

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Montembeault finished the season with a 10-8-4 record, a 3.43 goals-against average and a .872 save percentage. His fall from grace opened the door for Jakub Dobes to grab the starting job and for Jacob Fowler to graduate to the NHL.

At the end of the season media availability, Montembeault said he was ready to turn over a new leaf and get a fresh start, which he feels he can do in Montreal. So far, despite plenty of goaltender moves in the NHL, the Becancour native remains a member of the Canadiens.

With one year left at a very reasonable $3.15 million cap hit, one would have thought a team would be willing to take a chance on Montembeault, but there have been no takers so far. While he feels he can start again with the Habs, there is little doubt that Montembeault would be best served by joining a team that hasn’t got as crowded a crease. When training camp starts, he won’t be battling for the number one job but rather to prove to his teammates that last year’s collapse was a one-off and that he’s worthy of their confidence. That won’t be an easy task, with Dobes having signed a new three-year contract and Fowler seen as the goaltender of the future in Montreal.

Perhaps he’ll be traded by the start of training camp, but wherever he is, he will need to prove that the real Montembeault isn’t the one who crashed out of the NHL last season.

Meanwhile, Alex Carrier will also need to have a big year on the blueline. The soon-to-be 30-year-old rearguard was a blessing for the Habs’ defence corps when he was acquired from the Nashville Predators for Justin Barron in the 2024-25 season. In both of his seasons with the Habs, he posted a 0.30 PPG pace, which would project to 25 points over an 82-game season. The difference this past season was how much higher his shooting percentage was. 12.5% of his shots found the back of the net, up from 3.7% the year before.

In an ideal world, Carrier is a bottom-pairing blueliner, but the lack of right-shot defenseman has meant he played in the wrong chair a lot this past year. The veteran is much more efficient when paired up with Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle and Lane Hutson than when he’s skating alongside Arber Xhekaj.

When training camp opens, expect David Reinbacher to be given every opportunity to make the Canadiens this season. The fact that Hughes has been unable to find a real top-four right-shot defenseman in the free-agent or trade markets makes it all the more important that the Austrian fifth-overall pick in 2023 live up to his potential.

Chances are the Canadiens would ease him into the third pairing, but he would ideally prove he can handle more and pass Carrier on the depth chart. If that is the case, Carrier could still be given an extension, since other right-shot options in the Habs’ system may need more time to develop in the AHL. Bryce Pickford, fresh off a season for the ages in the WHL, had to undergo shoulder surgery, which should delay the start of his pro career with the Laval Rocket, while Bogdan Konyushkov will be playing in Russia this year and will likely need to adapt to the North American style of play.

Adam Engstrom is also knocking on the Canadiens’ door, and while he’s a left-shot blueliner, he has shown that he can play on his off-side as well. Unless the Canadiens use him to fill another need via trade, he may very well push a defenseman out of Montreal. Who could that be? Well, it depends on how Martin St-Louis chooses to deploy him. One thing is certain, however: Carrier will need to have a big year to earn a new contract with the Canadiens given how many youngsters are chomping at the bit to get their shot in the NHL.

My latest article for @TheHockeyNews ask whether there is a market for Samuel Montembeault: https://t.co/YmCjIdXm26#GoHabsGo#CH#Canadiens#Habs#THN

— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) July 3, 2026

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

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