NHL Trade Rumors: 2 Players That Are OFF-LIMITS In Any Canadiens Trade

The Canadiens' duo of GM Kent Hughes & head coach Martin St. Louis do not want to move two top prospects in any trade

Sure, the Montreal Canadiens are still on the lookout to add to their roster this summer, preferably with a top-six center. But GM Kent Hughes has already made it clear that he won't be weakening one part of the team to try to strengthen another.

However, a league source also told Insider Marco D'Amico of rg.org that two Habs prospects are definitely off-limits as well.

The Canadiens didn’t even consider including the names of (Michael) Hage or (David) Reinbacher in trade talks this summer. The Canadiens strongly believe in these two.

Two prospects who definitely won't be moved in any trade by the Canadiens

Reinbacher, 20, was the 5th overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, and the 6'3" defenseman is now the Habs' No. 3 prospect (per Daily Faceoff), with many believing that he could be a premier top-pairing blueliner someday. The two-way defender unfortunately suffered an injury that limited him to just 10 regular-season games with the Laval Rocket in the AHL this past season, plus another 13 playoff contests. But the flashes of his elite skills were there in the small sample siz.

Hage, 19, is a playmaking, two-way center who is right behind Reinbacher in the Habs' prospect rankings, and his 34-point season in 33 games with the University of Michigan confirmed scouts' suspicions that he could be a second-line center for the Habs in the future.

And one quick glance at what the Canadiens are building should add that little bit of patience for Habs fans.

Montreal's 25-and-under core ...

🔺Nick Suzuki (25)
🔺Noah Dobson (25)
🔺Cole Caufield (24)
🔺Lane Hutson (21)
🔺Ivan Demidov (19)
🔺Juraj Slafkovsky (21)
🔺Kaiden Guhle (23)
🔺Jayden Struble (24)
🔺David Reinbacher (20)
🔺Zack Bolduc (22)

A lot for Habs fans to be excited… pic.twitter.com/fkjwqwz50D
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 1, 2025

But the look towards the future doesn't end there. Another NHL executive does not see the Canadiens taking the Offer Sheet route this summer, either, to try to land someone like Mason McTavish, as they are not interested in surrendering their first-round pick in next year's vaunted Draft.

"I wouldn’t hold my breath, said an NHL executive. “If contending teams are hesitant to give away their 2026 1st-round pick, you can bet that the Canadiens will want to hold onto it until they have a clearer idea of where they’ll land in next season’s standings.”