Ivan Demidov, Jakub Dobes extensions highlight quiet Montreal Canadiens offseason
The Montreal Canadiens are further along in their rebuild than even the most optimistic fans could have thought.
Just two years removed from finishing last in the Atlantic Division for a third straight season, the Habs reached the Eastern Conference Final following a pair of seven-game series wins over the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres.
While they were eliminated in five by the eventual Stanley Cup-champion Carolina Hurricanes, the Canadiens cemented their status as playoff contenders, led by the young core of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, and Lane Hutson.
During his tenure as general manager, Kent Hughes has made a yearly habit of making a big summer trade in support of the young core.
After a first-round exit against the Washington Capitals in 2024-25, the Canadiens made a blockbuster deal to acquire top-pairing defenceman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders in exchange for two first-round picks and forward Emil Heineman. Hughes also flipped defensive prospect Logan Mailloux to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Zachary Bolduc. Both Dobson and Bolduc were instrumental in the Canadiens’ improvement from wild-card team to Atlantic Division contender.
Two offseasons ago, Hughes swung a late August trade to acquire sniper Patrik Laine to bolster his top six, and the power-play specialist was a big part of the club’s late-season run to make the playoffs.
Based on Hughes’ track record, many fans expected the Canadiens to once again make an offseason splash to take the next competitive step. Instead, it has been a quiet offseason from the front office, with mostly internal business being addressed.
The biggest move of the offseason was signing Demidov to an eight-year, $73.2 million contract extension with an AAV of $9.15M. The 20-year-old winger scored 19 goals and 62 points in 82 games in his first full season in the NHL as he led all rookies in points and finished second in Calder Trophy voting. He added three goals and nine points in 19 playoff games.
Hughes also locked up another key part of Montreal’s playoff run, signing goaltender Jakub Dobes to a three-year extension with a cap hit of $5.357 million. The 25-year-old netminder established himself as the No. 1 in the playoffs, posting a 2.66 goals-against average and .908 save percentage while starting all 19 postseason games.
Restricted free agent Kirby Dach also received a one-year, $3.6 million extension, avoiding arbitration.
The Canadiens also traded veteran forward Brendan Gallagher to the Vancouver Canucks for future considerations.
A pair of key restricted free agents remain unsigned, as Bolduc and defenceman Arber Xhekaj continue to negotiate new contracts for 2026-27.
Ideally, Hughes’ next big move would be acquiring a top-six forward to play on the second line alongside Demidov. Throughout the offseason, the Canadiens have been connected to forward Kirill Marchenko, but there has reportedly been no action on that front since early in the summer. Montreal was also reportedly a suitor for former Anaheim Ducks centre Mason McTavish before he was moved to the St. Louis Blues.
While the Canadiens have been quiet, it’s not for lack of trying, as Hughes and president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton have said the team has been calling around, but will not be pressured into making a deal.
“We’re going to make calculated decisions on things we’re doing, and hopefully you’ve seen that in the past since we’ve been here and we’re gonna continue doing that,” Gorton said before the NHL Draft. “Would we like to improve our team? Yes. Are we active, calling everybody, talking, looking at different situations? Yes. But honestly, we don’t feel the pressure from anywhere else to do anything that doesn’t fit into what we want to do.”
“We’ve already tried to make trades that some people would’ve said are overpayments, but it didn’t work,” Hughes said on July 1.
“I don’t want to leave the impression to our fan base that we’re just going to keep drafting and drafting and drafting. We’re going to do what we need to do to keep moving the needle forward,” Hughes said after the March trade deadline. “But by the same token, we’re not going to transact for the sake of transacting so that everybody’s happy in the moment, and then next year comes around and we are all scratching our heads as to why we did it.”
Montreal Canadiens Offseason Signings
- Ivan Demidov: Eight Years, $73.2M – $9.15M AAV
- Jakub Dobes: Three Years, $16,072,725M – $5,357,575 AAV
- Kirby Dach: One Year, $3.6M
- Bogdan Konyushkov: Two Years, $2.027M, $1.05M AAV
- Reilly Walsh: One Year, $850K
- Brett Berard: One Year, $850K
- Ethan Samson: One Year, $850K
- Samuel Poulin: One Year, $850K
- Kaapo Kahkonen: One Year, $850K
- Alex Belzile: One Year, $850K
- Jared Davidson: One Year, $850K
- Hunter McCown: One Year, $850K
Montreal Canadiens Offseason Trades
- Traded Brendan Gallagher to Vancouver Canucks for Future Considerations
- Acquired Maksymilian Szuber from the Utah Mammoth for Joshua Roy
- Acquired Hunter McCown from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Luke Tuch
- Acquired Brett Berard from the New York Rangers for William Trudeau
- Acquired Sasha Pastujov from the Anaheim Ducks for Sean Farrell
