The Most Important Offseason of the Rebuild: Who Should the Canadiens Target?

Kent Hughes certainly has his work cut out for him this summer, as his team enters likely the most important offseason of the rebuild thus far. After a surprising conference finals appearance that saw them lose to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, Canadiens fans are beginning to think that it may be time to finally accelerate the rebuild, utilize the team's deep prospect pool, and acquire some players that can help the team win now. However, in doing so, Kent must not accelerate things too early and make the same mistakes as many GM's before him have made.

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Rumoured Knies Deal and Its Impact on the Offseason

Amid the playoff action, various NHL insiders dropped a bomb regarding a deal that was almost done at the deadline. This deal would've seen young star power forward, Matthew Knies, heading to Montreal for a reported package of: KHL rookie of the year Alexander Zharovsky, WHL defenceman of the year Bryce Pickford, and two first-round picks.

If true, this rumoured deal is much more important than people think. Fans have been clamouring for a second-line center to play with Demidov, but Kent Hughes used a large chunk of his assets to acquire a winger. This tells me that Kent Hughes has a lot of faith in prospect Michael Hage and sees him as the future 2C.

Michael Hage Dilemma

Now, Hage choosing to stay another year in college makes this a little more challenging for Kent Hughes, and has fans saying that this decision is cause for him to get traded. I urge fans to pump the brakes on their emotions and think about his for a moment. This kid is a lifelong Habs fan who would battle tooth and nail for the logo on that jersey. Kent Hughes showed you he has faith in him, and the fans should to.

So what is Kent's Plan?

It seems to me that Kent's plan has been revealed by this attempted Knies trade, and that is to find a winger to play with Suzuki and Caufield, which had been reported throughout the year. We discovered this season that Demidov and Slafkovsky are a great fit on the second line, and it seems like they want to keep those two together for the foreseeable future.

With that being said, the center position is still very much an issue that needs fixing, as those two cannot continue with Oliver Kapanen as their center next season. While it worked this year, teams around them are getting better, and the Atlantic division looks to once again be the most competitive division in hockey next season. Kapanen was scratched during the playoffs for good reason.

Rumoured Center Options

We've heard all the high-profile names thrown out there that could entice the Habs, such as Robert Thomas, Nico Hischier, and Dylan Larkin. But realistically, none of these players is likely to land in Montreal. The Blues have already said that Thomas is no longer on the table, the Devils are likely to re-sign Hischier, and Dylan Larkin isn't waiving his NMC to come to Canada. Sorry, but that is the truth.

Another name thrown out there that the Habs have circled back on is Mason McTavish. Now this is intriguing, given his size, age, and pedigree as a former third-overall pick. My only question is, do Habs fans really want another reclamation project after the Dach fiasco? McTavish has a ton of potential, but a 7M AAV contract tied to a player who was healthy scratched and moved to the bottom-six multiple times during both the regular season and playoffs is a big red flag for me. Not to mention, he is extremely slow, and the Canadiens play a very fast-paced style of game nowadays.

My Overall Recommendation

Everyone seems to be looking at sub-30-year-old 2Cs that fit the timeline of the team, but let's be honest, these centers are scarce and will cost a hefty price from any team you try to pry them out of. To me, the best plan of action would be to acquire a veteran, interim 2C that can eventually play 3C as they age, and once Michael Hage is ready for that 2C role. Players that come to mind are: William Karlsson, Tomas Hertl, Ryan O'Reilly, and Vincent Trochek.

Karlsson or Hertl could be potential cap dump candidates as they look to free up money for pending RFA Pavel Dorofeyev. This poses as an opportunity for Kent Hughes to swoop in and acquire one of them at a discount price.

O'Reilly and Trochek are likely to be on the more expensive side, and we do not know if they will be willing to come to Montreal, but they are certainly two very intriguing options that Kent Hughes has reportedly already checked in on.

Now, some may be concerned about the cap hits and ages of these players, but we just saw Kent Hughes give up a second-round pick for 33-year-old Philip Danault and his 5.5M contract this season. I mention Danault because his 5.5M extension comes to an end at the end of the 2027 season, and any of these options would be fantastic in his 3C role if he isn't resigned. A few of them are on expiring deals as well, but could easily be brought back on cheaper deals as they age.

I know I said earlier that you can't rush things and trade for older players, but the Habs have one of the youngest teams in the league, and veteran leadership is necessary whether we like it or not. The core is set with young players, but putting veterans around them to keep them level-headed is extremely important when it comes to building championship teams.

Winger Options

This gives Montreal leeway to use its more premium assets for an elite winger, which they tried to do already in the Knies deal. With Knies likely off the table with new management in Toronto, who can the Habs pivot to? Let's go over the options:

Alexis Lafreniere is easily the most intriguing option to me if he is indeed available. Montreal has reportedly checked in on him, and he seems like a near-perfect fit alongside Caufield and Suzuki. Lafreniere is a lot more of a power forward than many think, being 6'2 and nearly 200lbs. Lafreniere also posted only ~20 fewer hits than Slafkovsky this season, so he is certainly capable of bringing a physical presence. What stands out most to me, however, are his defensive metrics. Adding a player like him to the first line will help Selke winner Nick Suzuki and defensively improved Cole Caufield become stronger in their own zone against opposing top lines. Not to mention, this should come cheaper than the rumoured Knies deal.

Jordan Kyrou is also a solid option, as he plays a great two-way game, is a 30-goal scorer, and is very speedy. The only downside with Kyrou is that he doesn't play a physical game, and doesn't have a great history of playoff success. A player from the Blues I prefer would be Dylan Holloway, as he has nearly all the positives Kyrou has, yet adds a physical element to his game as well. Unfortunately, there have been no rumours of Holloway being available. Kyrou, however, seems like he's on his way out of St. Louis.

I've seen some also mention McTavish as a winger option rather than a center, and again, I don't absolutely hate the idea for the right price, but the speed is a really big issue for me. Caufield and Suzuki aren't speed demons by any means, but as the power winger on their line, you need to be fast and relentless on the forecheck and along the boards, which we don't see much out of McTavish in comparison to other options.

Mason Marchment is another very intriguing cheap option. Being a UFA this season, he will cost nothing to acquire, aside from the risk of paying a 30-year-old on the open market. Marchment can play up and down the lineup, plays a physical game, and can put up points. Not my favourite option, but certainly one to consider.

With all this being said... If that Knies deal is still on the table, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Dream Roster Outlook (Forwards) Going into next season, the best option for me looks like this:

Line 1: Caufield - Suzuki - (Lafreniere/Knies/Holloway)

Line 2: Slafkovsky - (Any Interim Option Listed above) - Demidov

Line 3: Newhook - Evans (Eventually Hage in April) - Bolduc

Line 4: Texier - Danault - Anderson

and in 2028 (Which I believe is the start of the Canadiens true contention window):

Line 1: Caufield - Suzuki - (Lafreniere/Knies/Holloway)

Line 2: Slafkovsky - Hage - Demidov

Line 3: Newhook - (Any Interim Option Listed above) - Bolduc

Line 4: Texier - Evans - Anderson (Resigned cheaper)/Flo Xhekaj

Every line here would have a proper balance of skill, speed, grit, and defensive ability, and it gives Montreal a ton of flexibility for the foreseeable future.

What will this cost?

I won't get into the prices of player acquisition, as everyone has a different perception of value, but from a very rough standpoint, the assets likely needed to be given up to achieve this lineup consist of some mixture of: Zharovsky, Pickford, Engstrom, Beck, Kapanen, Dach (RFA rights), Texier, 1sts, other picks, etc. Again, I'm not saying all of these assets are needed to achieve this, only saying that most of this pool of players and assets will have to be parted with to achieve this lineup.

Notable assets left out of this list that I envision in the long-term plans are Michael Hage and David Reinbacher. I've already said my peace on Hage, but Reinbacher is another player who is disrespected by the fanbase (for some good reasons), and I encourage fans to be patient with him as well. Kent Hughes has to have a lot of faith in this kid to select him 5th overall, and frankly, he hasn't looked bad when he is actually healthy, but it's that health that remains the issue.

Defensive Pairings

I mention Reinbacher as I segway into the defensive portion of my ideal roster/off-season moves. Reinbacher was drafted to be Hutson's long-term partner, and I don't think he's ready to be that yet, though I do still think he can become that. My propositions for next year's pairings are something along the lines of:

Matheson - Dobson

Hutson - ________

Guhle - Reinbacher

Xhekaj

Matheson and Dobson have their moments, but overall, they were great together during the regular season. Dobson's injury impacted their performance in the playoffs. Guhle - Reinbacher to me is an incredible third pairing... The question remains if these two can stay healthy for a full season, which is why having them as the bottom pair makes them flexible with lineup changes if needed. You may notice that Alexandre Carrier is missing, and a blank space is instead listed beside Lane Hutson. That is because he is the odd man out of the equation, and who I would move for a more stable RHD.

I don't think Carrier is as bad as some make him out to be, and I actually thought he had a solid postseason. However, when you already have the smallest defenceman in the league in Lane Hutson on the roster, you have to surround him with a little more size, and Carrier just isn't good enough to keep around as an undersized guy.

Defence Options

The Canadiens have expressed interest in players like Rasmus Ristolainen and Zach Whitecloud in the past, and I hope they look into them again, as they are very solid options for the top 4. They both bring a heavy, physical, shutdown game, which pairs beautifully with the offensive ability of Lane Hutson. UFAs Jacob Trouba and Connor Murphy also fit this mould, and would be available to acquire on the open market. These players are also very capable of playing in a bottom-pairing role in the future, once Reinbacher is ready to make the jump to the top 4.

The cost to acquire any of these options shouldn't be ridiculously pricey. The pool of assets to pick from for any deals for them should be: Carrier, Dach (RFA rights), Kapanen, Xhekaj, Struble, Texier, Roy, 2nds and other picks. However, I wouldn't be surprised if any were dealt one-for-one for the Canadiens' late first.

Full Ideal Realistic Lineup

Alright, now with all of my favourite and most realistic options, let's put this all together. Would Habs fans be comfortable with this lineup on opening night?:

Caufield - Suzuki - Lafreniere

Slafkovsky - Karlsson - Demidov

Newhook - Evans - Bolduc

Texier - Danault - Anderson

Blais

Matheson - Dobson

Hutson - Whitecloud

Guhle - Reinbacher

Xhekaj

Let me know what you think!!