The Montreal Canadiens have been one of the National Hockey League's busier teams on the trade market over the last seven months, acquiring Noah Dobson, Zack Bolduc and Phillip Danault since June of 2025.
After reuniting with Danault shortly before the league holiday roster freeze in the middle of December — and giving up a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange — the Habs have set themselves up well for the second half of the 2025-26 campaign.
And although general manager Kent Hughes continues to gauge the market ahead of the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline, as RG Media's Marco D'Amico reported earlier this week, he's in no rush to make another move.
“Even Montreal, they were aggressive going to get help early, so they don’t have to be as aggressive down the stretch unless a can’t miss player becomes available,” an NHL source told D'Amico. “They still want to add that rare combo of size and scoring, but that doesn’t need to happen right away. In the meantime, they’re in a playoff spot and have a bunch of guys coming back, too. It pays to be aggressive.”
The Canadiens have been one of the league's hottest teams as of late, winning seven of 10 games to vault into first place in the Atlantic Division — and just a point back of the Carolina Hurricanes for tops in the Eastern Conference.
Canadiens surging into 2026
The trade acquisitions have been key, along with a couple of savvy signings by the front office — including Alexandre Texier, who recorded his first career hat trick in a 6-2 drubbing of the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
The Canadiens have built a strong roster that has been able to withstand multiple injuries, and the squad looks to be getting better on a game-by-game basis.
If Hughes and the front office do decide to make another move before the deadline, though, they could look to Flames forward Blake Coleman, who has recently been linked to the franchise.
D'Amico reported earlier this week that the Habs could also check in on a player like Vancouver Canucks' Kiefer Sherwood or Buffalo Sabres' Alex Tuch as well — two forwards on expiring contracts.
But right now there's no rush, especially as there is a holding pattern across the league that has been brought on by a general lack of availability.
D'Amico believes that “the trade market may shake loose once the NHL standings clear up by the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline, and more sellers will join the party. …Teams like the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets, and New York Rangers have already been contacted by their peers to keep them informed on their future plans.”
With the Olympic roster freeze looming, some teams might have no choice but to make a move over the next month — but the Canadiens aren't one of them.
Regardless of how the next several weeks play out, the franchise is dealing from a “position of strength.” It'll be interesting to see if they can take the next step and turn that into success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs come April.
