Canadiens Roster Talk: Top Remaining NHL Free Agents
The Montreal Canadiens wanted to add at least one impact player to the roster in a bid to build on their encouraging 2025-26 season.
Reaching the Conference Final was a significant step for the Habs, but the Carolina Hurricanes delivered a sobering reality check: advancing to the Stanley Cup Final remains a formidable challenge. After all, the Hurricanes themselves went seven years without reaching the Final before finally claiming Lord Stanley’s grail.
And while it’s true that the Canadiens have one of the youngest rosters in the league, internal improvements are par for the course throughout the NHL. Banking solely on individual growth leading to significant team improvements is risky for a team that wants to ensure they maintain their upward trajectory.
Given that general manager Kent Hughes has prioritized adding young talent, free-agency options were limited, to say the least. With training camp approaching and the Habs still needing upgrades, Hughes and company may revisit the remaining unrestricted free agents, potentially offering short-term deals that preserve long-term flexibility.
Remaining Top NHL Free Agents
As it stands, the Canadiens have roughly $10M in available cap space, though they still need to re-sign both Arber Xhekaj and Zachary Bolduc, limiting their financial manoeuvrability moving forward.
That said, many free agents are looking to reinvigorate their careers, creating an opportunity to offer a player such as Vladimir Tarasenko a one-year deal at a reasonable cap hit.
With teams allocating the bulk of their budgets to young star players, aging veterans have few options left, particularly if they’re seeking deals that extend beyond one or two seasons.
Some notable players are still without a contract ahead of training camp 👀
Who do you want your team to take a chance on? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/Oi1OfjOVW0
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) September 6, 2026
Tarasenko, 34, is no spring chicken, but he is coming off a relatively successful season with the Minnesota Wild in which he recorded 23 goals and 24 assists in 73 games. He is no longer the explosive winger who scored 40 goals for the St. Louis Blues in 2015-16, and his underlying numbers suggest he should be used sparingly at 5-on-5. Still, there is a reason he remains unsigned heading into the upcoming season.
The fact of the matter is you won’t find an ideal player in free agency at this point of the season.
Much like Patrik Laine, Tarasenko struggles at even strength, yet he has maintained a respectable goal-scoring pace despite his clear decline. He is not a perfect fit, but if the money is right, he could help the Canadiens in the short term. At the very least, he would give head coach Martin St. Louis more options both at 5v5 and on the power play.
Additional Options
Assuming aging veterans would be willing to sign short-term deals, the available players still aren’t at a level that would truly move the needle for the Canadiens, especially when it comes to adding a genuine top-six contributor.
There are plenty of mediocre options available, but the Habs are looking for an impact player. In that vein, with the regular season now featuring two extra games and the Canadiens aiming to make noise in the playoffs, quality depth remains a luxury they may be able to afford.
Players such as right-shooting defenceman John Klingberg and veteran Patrick Kane could become solid depth options if the injury list grows longer than in previous seasons. Without trying to copy the Hurricanes, one of Carolina’s greatest strengths throughout the playoffs was the presence of reliable veterans throughout the lineup.
However, we must remain realistic about the potential impact of these players. We are talking about aging veterans well past their primes.
Yet if deployed properly, there is still an opportunity to put them in situations that could reinvigorate their careers to some degree while helping the Canadiens take the next significant step in their bid to become a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
