In this series, we take a look at each team and see what they’ve done over the offseason. Next up is the Montreal Canadiens.
Key additions: Noah Dobson, Zack Bolduc, Sammy Blais, Marc Del Gaizo, Nathan Clurman, Kappo Kahkonen
The Canadiens made a huge addition with Noah Dobson for their backend. The thought of him and Lane Hutson quarterbacking the powerplay has to be a scary one for the opposition. The Habs also made a couple sneaky depth adds up front in Zack Bolduc and Sammy Blais.
Key subtractions: Emil Heineman, Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia, Michael Pezzetta, Alex Barre-Boulet, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, David Savard
Montreal lost a considerable amount of depth in their lineup, but they feel okay with that with the reinforcements they have on the way. A full season of Ivan Demidov in the lineup should more than make up for any missing offense as this team looks ready to take another step forward.
Highest draft pick: Alexander Zharovsky, 34th overall
Salary cap space: -$5.4 million
Staff: The Habs will be bringing back head coach Martin St. Louis for a 5th season.. He is the 4th longest tenured bench boss in the NHL, which goes to show how short of a leash coaches get in today’s game.
Other: The Habs do have a couple question marks if this team wants to become a true contender. The 2C position is open with Dach and Newhook currently battling for that slot. There is also the debate of whether defenseman Mike Matheson is needed anymore with Noah Dobson added to the fold on the blueline.
All transactions available via puck pedia
