NHL Trade Preview: Montreal Canadiens Finally 'Buying' in 2025-26

As captain Nick Suzuki has recently mentioned, it's great to see the Montreal Canadiens heading in the right direction. It's good for the league, and it's great for Habs' fans around the world, as general manager Kent Hughes will be one of the executives to watch next season.

The Canadiens took tremendous strides last season, pushing for a playoff spot, and heading into 2025-26, that's the goal. If Montreal doesn't make the playoffs, it's going to be a disappointment, not only to their fan base, but also in the dressing room.

"It's exciting," Suzuki told The Athletic's Arpon Basu. "We've been trading guys away for a long time, so now that we're adding guys – really good NHL players – to the team, it's exciting for everyone. Talking to Dobber and Bolduc coming in, they're really excited to join the group. It's an exciting time for the Canadiens, the players, and the fans can all see that. Now I'm just excited to get the season going."

As for areas of improvement, the Canadiens are going to likely add down the middle of the ice. They could use a veteran number-two center, but for now, expect a healthy Kirby Dach to get a look. On the wing they're pretty stacked with potential, and a full season of Ivan Demidov is going to be fun to watch.

Patrik Laine is entering a contract season, so the motivation couldn't be higher for a bounce-back season. Hughes has two second-round picks to dangle, so expect one of those to get traded, and it's also likely he deals from a position of strength, as the team has several NHL ready prospects who have significant trade value on the market.

One prospect who won't be traded is goaltender Jacob Fowler. You can add Jakub Dobes to that as well, as he's recently signed an extension, and frankly, Kaapo Kahkonen better have a strong start to the season, or else he'll be buried in the minors in no time.

Keep an eye on the Canadiens, they are going to be in the market for some veteran help at center ice, and with an aggressive GM who knows he's team is getting close, expect to see something big out of Montreal this season.