Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes wants to give the team’s young players every chance to showcase their skills, a decision that is easily justified. However, fans of the Montreal team may be left wondering why the Tricolore has been so inactive since the free agency market opened Monday at noon.
The Bleu-Blanc-Rouge has been relatively quiet, aside from signing Juraj Slafkovsky, who was already on the roster, and hiring Quebecer Alex Barré-Boulet, a player expected to primarily play in the American League. As of now, head coach Martin St-Louis’ team lacks depth on offense and might struggle to score goals in the 2024-2025 season, unless changes are made before the start of the regular season.
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Meanwhile, the Canadiens’ Atlantic division rivals have been quite active in free agency, and some are already predicting that the Canadiens will finish in the division’s basement for a fourth consecutive year. Here’s a quick look at what other teams in the division have been up to.
Red Wings de Detroit
In Michigan, GM Steve Yzerman is trying to get the Wings back to the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 2016. They came close to achieving that goal in 2024, and while David Perron’s departure is certainly a loss, the arrival of Vladimir Tarasenko should bring a smile to everyone’s face in the locker room, especially Patrick Kane. The latter has signed a one-year deal. It remains to be seen whether the two players, who were briefly teammates with the New York Rangers in 2023, will be able to lead Detroit to playoff contention. Fortunately for them, other key players like Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, and Lucas Raymond will provide offensive support.
Ottawa Senators
Aiming for their first playoff appearance since 2017, the Senators wanted to address a major weakness in goal. GM Steve Staios put his faith in Linus Ullmark, acquired from the Boston Bruins. The 2022-2023 Vezina Trophy winner should certainly perform better than Joonas Korpisalo, who went to Massachusetts. The club also acquired Perron, Noah Gregor, and Michael Amadio, while locking down Shane Pinto, who is expected to make significant progress. Defenseman Nick Jansen joined the Senators in exchange for Jakob Chychrun.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
In the Queen City, the Maple Leafs addressed a specific area of weakness. General manager Brad Treliving revamped his defensive unit by signing Christopher Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. In goal, Toronto didn’t hold back, offering a new contract to Joseph Woll. The team also agreed to contracts with Anthony Stolarz and Matt Murray, while Ilya Samsonov left for Las Vegas. Among players already on the Leafs’ roster, let’s note the signing of Max Domi for four years. In short, the team in blue and white will remain a force to be reckoned with in the 2024-2025 season.
Boston Bruins
Another of the Canadiens’ arch-rivals, the Bruins are hoping they made the right moves in signing forward Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov, two players who previously played together in the Western Conference. They signed for seven and six years respectively and should contribute to the success of a group that includes sniper David Pastrnak and the notorious Brad Marchand. With Ullmark gone, Jeremy Swayman will have a clear path to becoming the team’s starting goalie, as long as he improves his negotiation skills. He had to settle for a qualifying offer this summer.
Buffalo Sabres
The struggling Sabres, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2011, are hoping to see their young talent breakout. Buying out Jeff Skinner will give GM Kevyn Adams more flexibility, and he added depth in goal by acquiring James Reimer. The same is true up front with the arrival of Jason Zucker and Sam Lafferty. Quebecer Nicolas Aubé-Kubel will also try his luck in Buffalo, where the focus will be on Tage Thompson, JJ Peterka, and Alex Tuch as well.
Lightning de Tampa Bay
While GM Julien BriseBois said goodbye to captain Steven Stamkos, he welcomed Jake Guentzel with open arms, signing him to a seven-year, $63 million deal. The upcoming season will have a very different flavor in Tampa, as defenseman Mikhail Sergachev has also left the team. He was traded to Utah for Conor Geekie. Also noteworthy are the signings of Cam Atkinson and Zemgus Girgensons, not to mention the return last May of veteran Ryan McDonagh. And Victor Hedman has agreed to a four-year contract extension.
Florida Panthers
The Stanley Cup champions haven’t been quiet despite their recent triumph. Veteran defenseman Nate Schmidt will be looking to help the Panthers build on their momentum from the spring, as will AJ Greer and Jesper Boqvist. GM Bill Zito has rewarded a few key players, including Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart, who have agreed to six and eight-year extensions. Florida will have to cope without Tarasenko and Brandon Montour – acquired from the Seattle Kraken – but they remain a significant threat in the Atlantic.
Photo credit: Photo Getty Images via AFP
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Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes wants to give the team’s young players every chance they can to show off their skills, and that’s justified. However, fans of the Montreal team might be left to ponder the Tricolore’s lack of activity since the opening of the free agency market on Monday at noon.
The Bleu-Blanc-Rouge has been discreet, aside from signing Juraj Slafkovsky, who was already part of the existing roster, and hiring Quebecer Alex Barré-Boulet, a hockey player likely to play mainly in the American League. At the time of writing, head coach Martin St-Louis’ team has little depth in attack and might struggle to score goals in 2024-2025, unless changes are made between now and the start of the regular season.
• Read also: Would you have taken Justin Poirier before Celine Dion?
• Read also: CH: the 2024-2025 calendar is unveiled
Meanwhile, the Canadiens’ Atlantic rivals have moved significantly and some are already predicting the Canadiens’ division cellar for a fourth consecutive year. Here’s a quick look at the action among the other teams in the division.
Red Wings de Detroit
In Michigan, GM Steve Yzerman is trying to get the Wings back to the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 2016. They came close to reaching that goal in 2024, and while David Perron’s departure is certainly unfortunate, the arrival of Vladimir Tarasenko should bring a smile to everyone’s face in the locker room, especially Patrick Kane. The latter has signed a one-year deal. It remains to be seen whether the two men, who briefly played together with the New York Rangers in 2023, will be able to lead Detroit to safety. Fortunately for them, other interesting players like Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond will support the offense.
Ottawa Senators
In search of their first playoff appearance since 2017, the Senators wanted to plug a major hole in goal. GM Steve Staios therefore placed all his trust in Linus Ullmark, acquired from the Boston Bruins. The 2022-2023 Vezina Trophy winner should certainly do better than Joonas Korpisalo, who went to Massachusetts. In addition, the club got its hands on Perron, Noah Gregor and Michael Amadio, while settling the Shane Pinto file, who should look better. Defenseman Nick Jansen landed in the federal capital in return for Jakob Chychrun.
Photo credit: Getty Images via AFP
Toronto Maple Leafs
In the Queen City, there was also a specific weakness to correct. General manager Brad Treliving revamped his defensive brigade by signing Christopher Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. At goalie, Toronto didn’t skimp, presenting a new contract to Joseph Woll. The team also came to an agreement with Anthony Stolarz and Matt Murray, while Ilya Samsonov left for Las Vegas. As for players already in the Leafs’ fold, let’s note the signing of Max Domi for four years. In short, the club in blue and white will remain a threat in 2024-2025.
Boston Bruins
Another of the Canadiens’ arch-rivals, the Bruins are hoping to have picked the right numbers with forward Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov, two players who played together in the Western Conference. They signed for seven and six years respectively and should contribute to the success of a group that includes sniper David Pastrnak and the unpleasant Brad Marchand. With Ullmark gone, Jeremy Swayman will have an open mind to assume the No. 1 role, as long as his interactions at the negotiating table improve. He had to settle for a qualifying offer this summer.
Buffalo Sabres
The poor Sabres haven’t played in the playoffs since 2011 and are looking to see their young hockey talent explode. Buying out Jeff Skinner will give GM Kevyn Adams more latitude, as he added depth in goal by acquiring James Reimer. The same is true up front with the arrival of Jason Zucker and Sam Lafferty. Quebecer Nicolas Aubé-Kubel will also try his luck in Buffalo, where the focus will be more on Tage Thompson, JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch, too.
Lightning de Tampa Bay
While GM Julien BriseBois said goodbye to captain Steven Stamkos, he did welcome Jake Guentzel with open arms, signing a seven-year, $63 million deal. The next campaign will have a very different flavor in Tampa, as defenseman Mikhail Sergachev has also left. He was traded to Utah for Conor Geekie. Also noteworthy are the hirings of Cam Atkinson and Zemgus Girgensons, not to mention the return last May of veteran Ryan McDonagh. And Victor Hedman has agreed to a four-year contract extension.
Florida Panthers
The Stanley Cup champions haven’t been silent despite their recent triumph. Veteran defenseman Nate Schmidt will be looking to help the Panthers build on their spring momentum, as will AJ Greer and Jesper Boqvist. GM Bill Zito has rewarded a few key players, including Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart, who have agreed to six and eight-year extensions. Florida will have to make do without Tarasenko and Brandon Montour – acquired from the Seattle Kraken – but it remains a threat in the Atlantic.
Photo credit: Photo Getty Images via AFP
In collaboration with our partners
