Canadiens’ biggest mistake so far in 2026 NHL free agency
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The Montreal Canadiens made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2026, capping off an incredible season. Unfortunately, they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in that East Final. And outside of a Game 1 win for the Habs, the outcome of that series was never truly in doubt.
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Still, it was a huge season for this young team. The Canadiens have a lot of promising talent on their roster. They are starting to put everything together, and learning how to win in those sorts of games is vital for their development. The loss certainly stings, but the experience could help them in the long run.
Montreal has focused on keeping its own players so far this offseason. The Canadiens inked Ivan Demidov to a huge contract extension at the beginning of NHL free agency, for instance. Goaltender Jakub Dobes also signed a new deal after his performances in the postseason.
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The offseason is largely over and done with. Soon, teams will offer professional tryouts to some of the remaining free agents. But the big signings are mostly taken care of, outside of a couple moves to come.
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All that is to say that the Canadiens adding more players to the roster is a bit hard to imagine at this point. With that in mind, here is the biggest mistake the Habs made this summer.
Canadiens failed to address any needs in NHL free agency
David Kirouac-Imagn Images
It certainly makes sense for the Canadiens to reward their own players. Taking care of Demidov and Dobes at this point avoids the headache of needing to do it when they have more leverage. It also avoids distractions for both the player and the team as they get close to those players hitting free agency in some shape or form.
However, the Canadiens have elected to fully trust their group, it appears. The two signings of Dobes and Demidov represent Montreal’s biggest moves of the offseason. The most notable external additions to the team is a trade for Brett Berard from the New York Rangers.
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Berard is a young forward who could certainly find his place on this team. It’s not entirely unreasonable to see him make the team as a depth forward in some capacity. But he is far from the sort of addition this team needs.
For instance, the Canadiens did well with the chances they created in 2025-26. They finished top 10 in goals per game, according to ESPN, and had the second-best team shooting percentage. However, they were 24th in total shots. This issue reared its ugly head in the playoffs, when they struggled to generate consistent scoring chances.
Montreal needs to add a shot creator who can help put pressure on opposing defenses. They need someone who can generate scoring chances through rebounds, allowing the stars to put home any loose pucks in front of goal. Internal improvement could help address this issue, but banking on it alone is a dangerous game.
What makes Montreal’s inactivity more confounding is their cap situation. The Canadiens traded Brendan Gallagher to the Vancouver Canucks this summer to clear cap space. After the Demidov and Dobes extensions, Montreal still has $9.7 million left available.
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Zack Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj are restricted free agents, but are unlikely to command a sizeable salary. Any remaining unrestricted free agent would likely take a cut-price deal at this point, as well. The Canadiens have the means to actually address their needs before the puck drops for the 2026-27 campaign.
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