Will the Canadiens look to add veteran help this summer?

The Montreal Canadiens are in a full rebuild.

They finished eighth in the Atlantic Division and 28th overall in the NHL standings with a 30-36-16 record in 2023-24. The Habs have missed the playoffs and finished last in the division three years in a row. They have not made it back to the postseason since their incredible run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. 

But they also have a lot of the pieces in place.

They have some young stars in Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Alex Newhook. They have some experienced players taking on big roles with Mike Matheson, Brendan Gallagher and Tanner Pearson. And they have another wave of young players just beginning their NHL careers. 

Rebuilds work differently for different organizations. Some choose to take the long road and build mainly from their own drafting, while others more quickly add key pieces in free agency, sometimes including the right veteran to bring the group together efficiently. 

Which path will the Canadiens opt to take? Will they bring in one of the experienced veterans projected to be available this summer? 

Tyler Yaremchuk: [The question is] about the Montreal Canadiens maybe adding a [veteran] in free agency, a la Claude Giroux to the Ottawa Senators a couple of years ago. Maybe like a [Jonathan Marchessault]. He mentioned [Steven Stamkos] as well. 

Frank Seravalli: I don’t think they want to take away spots from their young players. I could see them trying to make a sizable trade for another piece that’s in his mid-20s. Think about the other guys that they’ve brought in, Kirby Dach and others. I think they would make a play like that. But I don’t know that they’re dying to have more [veterans] getting in the way of young players putting their stamp on this roster. 

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