July 2, 2025 | 9:06am ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

CANADIENS CONTINUE TO WORK THE LINES, SAYS GM

Canadiens GM Kent Hughes

The Montreal Canadiens completed a lot moves over the last week, acquiring the likes of star defenceman Noah Dobson and young stud winger Zach Bolduc through trades and adding some depth pieces via free agency.

Canadiens GM Kent Hughes believes “we are a better team, on paper,” but that won’t stop him from exploring more change over the rest of the off-season.

Speaking with the media on Tuesday, Hughes acknowledged that he will “continue to work the phone lines” in an attempt to further improve his club.

“My focus is more so on what we can do to build a team that’s capable of competing for the Stanley Cup,” he told reporters.

The Habs remain in the market for a second-line centre, but could start the season with Kirby Dach in that slot.

“The reality is, we’re not going to put the perfect team together over the course of one summer,” Hughes said. “We recognize we have other things we’d like to accomplish... I don’t see us accomplishing everything all at once.”

The Canadiens discussed a bigger trade with the St. Louis Blues that involved winger Jordan Kyrou, but the two sides weren’t able to come to terms on a deal before Kyrou’s full no-trade clause kicked in yesterday. As a result, the teams pivoted and agreed on a Bolduc for Logan Mailloux swap.

Hughes will continue to monitor the trade market and any more impact additions are likely to come via trades rather than the free agent market, including potentially luring a restricted free agent with an offer sheet.

The Habs will also entertain trade inquiries from other clubs, though moving out any key roster players may be unlikely.

As TFP’s David Pagnotta reported last week both on TFP and on NHL Network during the NHL Draft, citing multiple league sources, teams have inquired about Brendan Gallagher’s availability, but a move is still not expected.

There is also speculation over the future of veteran defenceman Mike Matheson, who is now in the final year of his contract.

Matheson, 31, owns an eight-team no-trade list as part of his contract and comes with a $4.875 million cap hit.

The Canadiens are currently over the salary cap, but have flexibility, if needed, by placing Carey Price on LTIR and utilizing his $10.5 million cap hit in overage space. In the meantime, teams are allowed to exceed the salary cap by 10 percent over the off-season, so long as they become cap compliant by the start of the regular-season.