The Hockey News’ summer splash rankings – which rank the off-seasons of every NHL team – have been posted for the past 31 days. And today, we’ve arrived at the team that was No. 1 in our list – the Montreal Canadiens.
These rankings, which are based on each team’s off-season additions, departures, hirings and firings where applicable, put teams into three distinct areas: teams that stayed the same, teams that got worse and teams that significantly improved. We’ve been moving in reverse order, from the team that finished 32nd overall (the Buffalo Sabres) to the Canadiens, whom we’ve deemed to have the best off-season of any team.
The Habs – who unexpectedly made the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, only to be thumped in Round 1 by the Washington Capitals – are still relatively early in their blueprint back to relevancy. But under coach Martin St. Louis, the Canadiens have been plucky and resilient, and even in a tough division like the Atlantic, Montreal has put everyone on notice – the days of the Habs being a pushover are long gone, and better days for this franchise are coming soon.
Additions
Noah Dobson (D), Zack Bolduc (LW), Kaapo Kahkonen (G), Joe Veleno (C), Sammy Blais (LW)
The Breakdown: It’s not every day you go out and acquire a No. 1 defenseman on the trade market, but that’s just what Canadiens GM Kent Hughes did this summer, trading with the New York Islanders to land star blueliner Noah Dobson. Instantly, Dobson makes a Habs defense corps – that was already fairly impressive – into a stacked group of D-men. With Dobson’s arrival, superstar-in-the-making Lane Hutson doesn’t have the pressure to carry the team on his back. And even with the retirement of veteran David Savard, Montreal’s defense can now hurt an opponent at both ends of the ice.
That Dobson trade was the primary reason Montreal finished first in our summer splash rankings – but it wasn’t the only reason they finished first. Indeed, adding former St. Louis Blues winger Zack Bolduc is a huge boost for the Canadiens’ second line, and the price they had to pay – young defenseman Logan Mailloux – was one Montreal could afford now that Dobson is on board.
Hughes’ other moves were low-risk, decent-reward choices: in Kaapo Kahkonen, they got a backup for starting goalie Samuel Montembeault in Joe Veleno, they got an experienced fourth-liner, and in Sammy Blais, they got some roster depth they may need to lean on as the season progresses.
All in all, Montreal has gone from a team looking to make the next competitive step to a team that has no excuse to not be a playoff team next year. Hughes has slowly, painstakingly cobbled key pieces together, and after what may feel like an eternity of letdowns for Canadiens fans, the Habs are set to do serious damage next season.
Departures
Christian Dvorak (C), Joel Armia (RW), Emil Heineman (LW), David Savard (D), Logan Mailloux (D), Michael Pezzetta (LW), Cayden Primeau (G)
The Breakdown: The Canadiens did have players of note who have departed from the team this summer: veteran center Dvorak signed with Philadelphia, winger Joel Armia signed with the Los Angeles Kings, young winger Heineman was sent to the Islanders in the Dobson trade, heart-and-soul D-man Savard retired, rugged winger Michael Pezzetta signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs and backup goalie Cayden Primeau was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Some of those departures will hurt. Armia was a fan favorite, while Dvorak was a solid third-line center. And Mailloux may yet develop into a top-four blueliner. But when you measure the trade-offs in Montreal this summer – including Dobson-for-Savard, and Bolduc for Armia, you can’t help but come to the conclusion that the Canadiens are significantly better.
Hughes spent his salary cap space wisely, giving Dobson an eight-year contract with an average annual salary cap hit of $9.5-million. And Bolduc is still going to be an RFA at the end of next season – so acquiring him to put up 20-25 goals next season will turn out to be a tremendous bargain. While it may have been hard to say goodbye to a few Habs veterans, the team has obviously improved from where they were last season.
The Bottom Line
These summer splash rankings have always been about one thing – namely, did a team do good work this off-season? And although other teams improved in different ways (some teams got better with one or two big moves, while other teams improved by simply bringing back the same group next season), in Montreal’s case, the blockbuster deal for Dobson really raised the competitive bar in a way that no other team’s off-season did for them.
At 25 years old, Dobson is still approaching his prime – and though he had a down year last season, Dobson is only two years removed from a 60-assist, 70-point season with the Isles. He and Hutson are two of the best young D-men in the league, and now, Montreal has them as fixtures for the foreseeable future.
Adding Bolduc is another terrific move from Hughes, and filling out the roster with blue-collar workers like Blais and Veleno gives Montreal the kind of depth they’re going to need to compete in the punishing Atlantic. But few teams in the Atlantic or any other division have a defense corps like the Canadiens’ group.
And to think, we still haven’t mentioned any of the Habs’ young star forwards – Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov. The list of difference-makers for Montreal has grown considerably, and you have to give Hughes and the rest of the Canadiens’ management team credit for acquiring key components without surrendering any members of their core.
For those reasons, we have Montreal at the top of this summer splash ranking. No team did more this off-season than the Canadiens. And while we’re still in the dog days of summer, Habs fans have every right to be stoked for next season to arrive. Montreal is going to be a team to watch all season long in 2025-26, and the Canadiens’ off-season moves have made them into a team most opponents will have great difficulty beating.
Summer Splash Rankings
1. Montreal Canadiens
2. Florida Panthers
3. Vegas Golden Knights
4. Carolina Hurricanes
5. Anaheim Ducks
6. Philadelphia Flyers
7. Vancouver Canucks
8. San Jose Sharks
9. Utah Mammoth
10. New York Rangers
11. Detroit Red Wings
12. New Jersey Devils
13. St. Louis Blues
14. Pittsburgh Penguins
15. Colorado Avalanche
16. Ottawa Senators
17. Boston Bruins
18. Edmonton Oilers
19. Minnesota Wild
20. Seattle Kraken
21. Columbus Blue Jackets
22. Washington Capitals
23. Nashville Predators
24. New York Islanders
25. Tampa Bay Lightning
26. Toronto Maple Leafs
27. Dallas Stars
28. Calgary Flames
29. Los Angeles Kings
30. Winnipeg Jets
31. Chicago Blackhawks
32. Buffalo Sabres
Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
Read the full article here