General manager\u00a0(GM)\u00a0Kent Hughes has been busy addressing these needs, and there are more yet to be addressed. Patience and finding the right player is the focus, but there are solutions available; the key now is seeing if the price is right.<\/p>\n
Canadiens\u2019 Multiple Needs<\/p>\n
First,\u00a0acquiring\u00a0a\u00a0top-six\u00a0power forward with size has been \u2014 and still is \u2014 a requirement.\u00a0 Hughes and media analysts\u00a0identified\u00a0the need to\u00a0acquire\u00a0a big, skilled forward who can compete physically and provide an offensive punch, which is still an open file on his\u00a0desk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s\u00a0a lot of areas that we need to improve to be a team\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0still playing now. We need more scoring, we need to be bigger, we want to be more competitive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0Jeff Gorton<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Second, a\u00a0reliable\u00a0second-line\u00a0centre is necessary. Following injuries to\u00a0Kirby Dach\u00a0<\/a>there was\u00a0significant concern, but that injury opened the door for a young rookie to step up. So far, Oliver Kapanen seems to have filled that role nicely, with his ability to score but also due to his two-way play and reliability on\u00a0the\u00a0penalty\u00a0kill (PK) units. Kapanen helped fill a gap after key departures last summer drained the PK units. Others stepped up as well, and\u00a0Hughes\u2019 mid-season\u00a0acquisition of Phillip\u00a0Danault<\/a>\u00a0turned an area of concern into a strength.<\/p>\n However, one of the biggest areas of concern\u00a0management raised\u00a0was the need to\u00a0increase\u00a0overall playoff physicality and compete<\/a>.\u00a0The\u00a0team needs to develop a more physical edge and \u201ccompete\u201d throughout the lineup. While Tom Wilson and the Capitals\u00a0praised Montreal\u2019s compete level after the series<\/a>, it was clear they were outmuscled.\u00a0While\u00a0it can be\u00a0argued that the Canadiens\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0need to replicate the Capitals\u2019 identity,\u00a0it does need to be pointed out that they are one of the smallest teams in the NHL and have one of the smallest\u00a0forward groups\u00a0in the NHL, specifically.<\/p>\n The blue line isn\u2019t the problem on the Canadiens roster as there is far more size, grit and toughness spread throughout. Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble complement the more mobile defenders such as Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson who have size but defend with mobility and positioning. Lane Hutson\u00a0defends with\u00a0his smarts and positioning.\u00a0<\/p>\n The debate is\u00a0not if the core\u00a0has\u00a0enough skill to beat teams in the playoffs; they absolutely do. The debate is\u00a0whether Montreal are physical enough to match up against\u00a0skilled teams that can play the tough,\u00a0gritty,\u00a0and physically punishing playoff style such as Washington, defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers,\u00a0and\u00a0the Tampa Bay Lightning. If the Canadiens can consistently smother teams with the forecheck and a physical cycle game, they have the skill necessary to score on a regular basis. <\/p>\n Debates about\u00a0whether\u00a0these teams are still or can be considered Cup contenders are moot because for Montreal to be able to not only contend, but\u00a0actually win\u00a0a Cup, they need to first eliminate\u00a0any or\u00a0all of\u00a0these clubs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Canadiens Have Solutions Available<\/p>\n The Canadiens are in the top 10 in the NHL in the standings midway through 2025-26 and are only two points out from leading the Atlantic Division outright.\u00a0But\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0regular-season success. There is no arguing that the game changes in the playoffs, and size matters. The 2025 playoffs proved\u00a0that as\u00a0Wilson ran roughshod over\u00a0Montreal,\u00a0and that will be the approach any opponent takes with the NHL\u2019s youngest team in the 2026 playoffs. Juraj\u00a0Slafkovsky\u00a0<\/a>can bring that same edge as\u00a0Wilson and\u00a0can do so in the top six.<\/p>\n However, there is a lack of\u00a0that grit\u00a0and physicality in the other five players that make up the scoring lines. They are, without a doubt,\u00a0a skilled team. Their top six oozes skill thanks to youngsters Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield,\u00a0and\u00a0Ivan Demidov. While they have needs, they\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0in need of making a deal\u00a0now, as the Canadiens are ahead of schedule in their rebuild. After just having made the playoffs last season, the original goal was to just \u201cbe in the mix\u201d for a berth. The goal for this season was stated unequivocally as qualifying for the playoffs, and now they are competing for home-ice advantage in the first round when they were only aiming for a wild-card berth.<\/p>\n According to\u00a0Marco D\u2019Amico of RG.org,<\/a>\u00a0Montreal is kicking tires to fill its needs. Specifically, he notes that the Canadiens will listen to physical, scoring middle-six forwards, but only if the cost makes sense beyond this season. Hughes and company are focused more on deals that provide a long-term impact. They want to avoid trades that look good or only help with short-term optics, especially compared to teams that consider themselves contenders now who will be facing real pressure at the 2026 Trade Deadline to make their additions; those teams will drive up the prices on assets to turn it into a true sellers\u2019 market.<\/p>\n That would price Hughes out of nearly any available big name he would have interest in. There is no rush at this stage to make a deal, especially as they await the return of several middle-six forwards that could ideally bring some speed, offence and size. Dach, Patrik Laine<\/a> and Alex Newhook are all on the long-term injured reserve (LTIR) but are slated to make their returns all by mid-March.<\/p>\n That means now is not the right time to make the kind of acquisition that could be classified as a knee-jerk reaction to add for the sake of adding, especially if\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0only in the form of a rental player; one example is Vancouver Canucks forward Keifer Sherwood who is likely looking to cash in for maximum salary on the open market thanks to his success this season.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to come down to who\u2019s available, at what cost, and if we\u2019re acquiring a more experienced player that can help us in the here and now more so than in the future, what kind of commitment are we making to that player? Are we acquiring a guy with four or five years left? Are we acquiring a guy with a year left? What do we look like a month from now, health-wise and everything else, with an Olympic break for some, not all, obviously?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Kent Hughes<\/a><\/p>\n The importance of patience is not lost on Montreal\u2019s GM, as he does recognize\u00a0his team is still\u00a0not in its contending window just yet. That\u2019s something that is widely communicated around the league, according to D\u2019Amico\u2019s source, who states, \u201cthat\u2019s not a team that\u2019s in a position that needs to make a trade right now to keep pace. They\u2019re\u00a0in a good place and simply need to add when the opportunity presents itself\u201d. The Canadiens do have the assets, in the form of draft picks, prospects, and even young NHL-ready players, to make that deal move if they can find the right trade partner.<\/p>\n Montreal is linked to just about anyone on a selling team, and the club\u2019s needs are well defined and widely known. Some players may not be mentioned often, like Columbus Blue Jackets forward Charlie Coyle. He is a big (6-foot-3, 228-pounds) bruising forechecking forward who could be a fit as a power forward on the top line, taking on the role as the hard-hitting forecheck and puck retrieval player they had Slafkovsky playing as. He can also play centre if required, but his impact as a top-line winger could far more than his impact at centre, especially with Kapanen currently playing excellently in a top-six role already. However, Columbus hasn\u2019t reported being ready to be a seller, even on a rental forward like Coyle.<\/p>\n Another name mentioned by D\u2019Amico is\u00a0the Calgary Flames\u2019 Blake Coleman<\/a>. The 5-foot-11 and 198-pound winger is not exactly the big bruiser people envision when they think \u201cpower forward\u201d; he is known for playing that style. Coleman could fill some needs, such as physicality, versatility (he can take faceoffs and play up and down the lineup), but also adds a championship pedigree with two Stanley Cup rings with the Lightning.<\/p>\n He plays a simple game built on pressure and forechecking, which is what head coach Martin St. Louis is looking to add to that top line, but he is also a defensively responsible player. This season, Coleman has 13 goals and 21 points through 44 games (on pace for a 25-goal, 40-point season), along with a plus-10 rating, one of only three Flames on the positive side of that statistic.\u00a0He has two seasons left on the contract that pays him $4.9 million, which makes him more attractive as he isn\u2019t a rental.<\/p>\n Patience and finding the right player must remain the Canadiens\u2019 focus. Waiting for the best fit is a luxury not many teams have at this stage of a rebuild, but Montreal has that. The key now is finding one at the right price.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a>![\"Oliver](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Oliver-Kapanen-Canadiens-2-1200x899.jpg\")
Oliver Kapanen, Montreal Canadiens (Amy Irvin<\/a> \/ The Hockey Writers)<\/p>\n![\"SUBSCRIBE](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Canadiens_Banner-1200x122.jpg\")
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