Canadiens brass commit to roster fixes after collapse

Canadiens brass – After Montreal were dismantled by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton and general manager Kent Hughes say the Canadiens’ future depends on plugging major roster gaps—while also navigating a salary-cap window

BROSSARD, Que. — The Canadiens were within three wins of the Stanley Cup Final, then the Carolina Hurricanes flipped the script in a way Montreal couldn’t afford to ignore.

After a 6-2 Game 1 win in the semis, the Canadiens lost the next four games by a combined score of 16-5. By the end, the holes in their roster weren’t hidden behind hope or momentum; they were on full display.

Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes didn’t need the collapse to recognize where their team still fell short. but the message was reinforced in the most ruthless way possible. “Had you told us before the year that we’d get 106 points and make the Eastern Conference Final. ” Hughes said. “I don’t know if I would’ve believed that.”.

They also didn’t pretend last spring’s success solved everything. Hughes framed what Montreal lacked even as the team surged: an established second-line centre to balance Nick Suzuki’s overwhelming responsibilities while maximizing Ivan Demidov’s offensive potential; a seasoned. high-quality. right-handed defensive partner for superstar lefty Lane Hutson; two more big. tenacious. intimidating depth wingers; and—just as importantly—an even deeper understanding among the young Canadiens players of what it takes to win the Cup.

That gap felt especially sharp because Carolina. for all the pain it has carried in past postseason disappointments. didn’t need to patch itself for this stage of the playoffs. The Hurricanes entered the series with no single obvious hole to fill. with Sebastian Aho. Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis still doing what they do best. Yet the burden looked different this time in the way Logan Stankoven. Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake helped carry the load. while freeing up the bottom-six forwards to punish opponents with physicality and intensity.

In front of goaltender Frederik Andersen. top-pairing defenders Jaccob Slavin and Jalen Chatfield were buoyed by K’Andre Miller and Sean Walker. insulating third-pairing defenders Shayne Gostisbehere and Alexander Nikishin. Gorton’s takeaway was blunt, too: “In all facets of that series they were better than us. I think that’s what we learned is that we have to be better in a lot of areas if we want to get to that next level. I think they showed us that. After that first game, they were very impressive, and we weren’t quite up to it.”.

For Hughes. the Canadiens’ run “promising” wasn’t defined by the ending—it was defined by what it proved to a young group. Montreal’s playoff journey started with an upset-minded first-round statement against the championship-pedigree Tampa Bay Lightning. followed by a seven-game ousting of the up-and-coming. electrifying Buffalo Sabres. Hughes said the team learned a lot from that experience. and he believes that education will matter as much as any move he and Gorton make in the months ahead.

The standard the Canadiens want to chase is visible in how their stars handle setbacks. Cole Caufield. 25. walked out after Gorton and Hughes spoke to gathered media and told them he “sucked” during Montreal’s 19-game playoff run. Even with Caufield finishing with six goals and 13 points, he said his performance fell short of his own bar.

Caufield’s line with Juraj Slafkovsky and Suzuki didn’t escape scrutiny either. Slafkovsky posted six goals and 12 points, and Suzuki put up four goals and 16 points. They both said they expect more from themselves—though neither said they “sucked.” Gorton pointed to the deeper lesson as the next step: “I think more importantly for them is going through it and understanding what it’s going to take and how to manage themselves going forward to be able to get through the playoffs round after round. It’s difficult. All three of them had great years. I don’t think we can lose sight of that. They all did something that they haven’t done before. a 30-goal scorer (Slafkovsky). a 50-goal scorer (Caufield). a 100-point season (Suzuki). We can’t lose sight of that.”.

But the Canadiens can’t build only on accountability from their core. Gorton and Hughes said they must add around those three players—the oldest of whom is Suzuki, who turns 27 in August—while understanding the stakes of doing it the right way.

They’re working from a position of greater incentive than they’ve had since Gorton arrived in November 2021 and Hughes took over in January 2022. Still, Hughes said he isn’t looking to mortgage the future for help that may only make a difference quickly. “I’ve started to make the rounds in terms of contacting the teams. ” Hughes said. adding he isn’t looking to mortgage the team’s future for a player only capable of potentially helping the Canadiens win next year’s Cup.

Gorton echoed the priorities. describing how Montreal has already been supplementing its core with additions like Noah Dobson. and Zack Bolduc. “We did that we felt with (26-year-old) Noah (Dobson), with (22-year-old) Zack (Bolduc). I think this summer we’ll go in with the same approach. We’re going to try to keep going, but we don’t know what’s next until it comes along. It’s early on, we just got eliminated, so it’s hard to say what might be available to us.”.

Cap flexibility will shape what’s possible, too. According to PuckPedia.com. the Canadiens have close to $11 million in salary-cap flexibility right now. with at least another $6.5 million to be freed up through Brendan Gallagher’s trade to another team. Gallagher. speaking before emotions overwhelmed him. said: “It’s pretty clear I’ll be moving on here.” Josh Anderson described Gallagher as “the ultimate competitor. ” adding that he has meant a lot to the organization after playing 14 years with the same team. becoming “a tremendous guy off the ice. a family man now. ” and a “friend for life.” Anderson also said Gallagher has meant a lot to the city and called him “an absolute warrior” and “a guy that every team would love to have.”.

Gorton and Hughes stressed that Gallagher’s impact on Montreal’s future success stretches beyond cap savings. but the dollars still matter in the coming decisions. Bolduc is due to a contract extension. and if not all of Gallagher’s cap space goes into Bolduc. more will be available for a new deal for Kirby Dach. Dach is a 25-year-old restricted free agent, though with a more doubtful future than Bolduc in Montreal.

Even with the cap set to increase to $104 million next season before jumping to $113.5 million for 2027-28. Gorton and Hughes said they won’t be reckless on either front. They’re also considering the likely possibility that they move Samuel Montembeault and his expiring $3.15-million contract. Rookies Jakub Dobes and Demidov are eligible to sign new deals on July 1—one year ahead of their entry-level contracts expiring—and that will need to be accounted for.

The Canadiens’ structure offers room to maneuver: seven of their core members are locked in through 2030, with none counting for more per year than Dobson’s $9.5 million. That is why Gorton and Hughes can talk about plugging holes rather than simply hoping their current group can carry them.

They know they may not get everything they want, and Hughes admitted the tradeoff that comes with protecting the future. “They’d like to get all of them as soon as possible. though they’ll likely have to settle for just some. ” the plan implies. If Montreal has to block— or trade—a prospect who could eventually fill a void but won’t necessarily be able to do it right away. Hughes said that’s the kind of scenario they may have to accept. “I think that’s inevitable for us,” Hughes said. “We’re certainly closer to being in a position where we would accept that scenario than when we first got here in January or February of 2022. where we would never have accepted it.”.

What both men witnessed over the last seven weeks against Carolina helped make that shift feel necessary. Hughes said what happened in the series left no doubt: “We know we have plenty of work to do still to reach our ultimate objective to win the Stanley Cup.”

For a team that was so close—so close enough to taste it—the offseason won’t just be about optimism. It will be about fixing what the Hurricanes exposed.

Montreal Canadiens Jeff Gorton Kent Hughes Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final NHL playoffs Brendan Gallagher trade salary cap flexibility Ivan Demidov Nick Suzuki Lane Hutson Cole Caufield Juraj Slafkovsky