3 Teams the Montreal Canadiens Could Trade With This Preseason – The Hockey Writers – Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens have had a quiet offseason thus far. But that is not necessarily a bad thing.

The Canadiens are among the youngest teams in the league and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final in the spring. It would be great to add another impact player to the lineup, but choosing to wait for the right opportunity, even if that means heading into the 2026-27 season with essentially the same lineup that finished the 2025-26 season, is not a terrible idea.

Obviously, if an upgrade exists out there and makes sense, the Canadiens will not hesitate to improve their team. There have been rumors they are interested in Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs as well as Columbus Blue Jackets winger Kirill Marchenko. However, both teams are not ready to sell off these assets as they want to compete for a playoff spot.

Knies or Marchenko would be great fits on the Canadiens roster, as the team could use an upgrade to its top-six forward group. But it takes two to tango, and the Leafs and Jackets are not ready to dance. So, which teams do make ideal trade partners for the Habs?

Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks approach the preseason in serious cap trouble. They returned to the postseason in 2026, but a monster offer sheet to Leo Carlsson forced them into a contract with a cap hit of $18 million for their promising young center. They still have about $9 million in cap space but have to sign restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier, who is coming off a 40-goal season and will demand more than $9 million on his next deal.

The Ducks desperately need some help on right defense, having lost John Carlson, Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas during free agency. They also need some cap relief. Adam Engstrom is not the right-shooting defender that they desire, but he can comfortably play the right side. The Ducks need to offload some cash, and Mikael Granlund is signed for two more years at $7 million. He would fill a need as a top-six option to play with Ivan Demidov.

It would also make sense for the Canadiens to take either Chris Kreider or Alex Killorn off the Ducks’ hands. These players each make over $6 million per season and are entering the final year of their contracts. They would not cost a top prospect like Engstrom, or much at all, but they could fit in the middle six in Montreal.

Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken surprisingly made the playoffs in their second season of existence, but have now missed for three straight seasons. Only the San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks and Ducks have fewer total points over those three seasons. The Kraken could use a shakeup.

Seattle could use an infusion of youth on its blue line. That means Engstrom as well as Arber Xhekaj or Jayden Struble could be of interest to them. Adam Larsson is a 33-year-old defenseman who shoots right and plays a steady, defensive style. He could be a great fit on a pairing with Lane Hutson, and a futures package of young defensemen and draft picks makes sense for the rebuilding Kraken.

Another Kraken who could fill a role is Jared McCann. While Larsson is signed for three more seasons, McCann is a 30-year-old forward who is heading into the final year of his deal. McCann recorded 20 goals and 40 points in just 52 games last season and would step right into a second-line role with the Canadiens. The Habs have plenty of prospects and future draft picks that could entice the Kraken to sell either, or both, of these players early.

Calgary Flames

The Canadiens are trying to contend, which means an ideal trade partner is a team looking to sell off assets as part of a rebuild. The Calgary Flames shipped out veterans Nazem Kadri and Rasmus Andersson, both of whom would have been great fits in Montreal, and could continue selling assets as they look to rebuild their team.

They still have a couple of ideal fits for the Canadiens on their roster. Morgan Frost is a 27-year-old center who shoots left and had 22 goals and 43 points for the Flames last season and won nearly 57% of his faceoffs. He has one year left on his contract, with a manageable cap hit of $4.375 million, before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. That makes him a trade candidate for the rebuilding Flames, who would be interested in getting their hands on the Canadiens’ prospects and future draft picks.

When the Flames traded Andersson last season, part of the return was Zach Whitecloud, who could be a good addition for the Canadiens. Whitecloud is a 6-foot-2 right-shot defenseman who weighs 218 pounds. The Canadiens could use a rugged defender who adds size to their back end, and with two years left on his contract at $2.75 million, he slides in with a cap hit that is easy to handle.

The Canadiens have been quiet so far this offseason, but keep an eye on these three teams, as they make ideal trade fits with the Habs.