The Montreal Canadiens’ rebuild under Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes has been a topic of ongoing debate since they took over from Marc Bergevin. Discussions about its exact starting point, the timing of prospect call-ups, and decisions on which veterans to keep or trade reflect the fans’ and media’s desire to see progress.
Since Bergevin’s Reset in 2018, the Canadiens have drafted an impressive 68 players—an average of nearly 10 picks per season, despite there being only seven rounds each year. Looking ahead to the 2025 NHL Draft, Montreal already holds 12 draft picks, including seven in the first three rounds and two more in the fourth. With pending UFAs like Jake Evans, Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia, and David Savard, it’s likely the Canadiens will add even more assets by this season’s trade deadline.
However, NHL teams face limits: a maximum of 50 contracts and the rights to no more than 80 players, signed or unsigned. Montreal is quickly approaching that saturation point. As a result, key decisions from the Canadiens’ management are expected between now and the 2025 Draft.
Strategies for Asset Management
The Canadiens have multiple options to navigate their growing stockpile of assets. Here are some of the most viable strategies:
1. Deferring Assets
One common approach is to trade current assets for future draft picks, particularly during the trade deadline when teams seek rentals for a playoff push. Kent Hughes will undoubtedly explore this strategy, especially with pending UFAs. Don’t rule out Hughes trading players or prospects under contract either if it aligns with the team’s long-term plans.
2. Trade Packages
Another method is combining multiple assets—such as prospects, picks, or current players—into packages to acquire fewer, more valuable returns. This can involve packaging picks to move up in the draft or sweetening deals to land a targeted player. Given Montreal’s depth of draft capital, this approach could prove essential.
3. Buyouts
At one point, buyouts were a hot topic among fans, with names like Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, and Christian Dvorak frequently mentioned. However, with Armia and Dvorak nearing UFA status, buyouts are no longer necessary for them. Meanwhile, both Gallagher and Anderson have rebounded this season, contributing leadership and key performances to a young roster.
Buyouts, though clearing cap space in the short term, can be costly down the road. Given the Canadiens’ eventual need for future cap space as they return to competitiveness, Hughes will weigh if short-term freedom is worth more than the flexibility of not being handcuffed in the future.
4. Trades for Future Considerations
While controversial, trading a player for “future considerations” remains an option under current NHL rules. This essentially allows a team to offload a player without receiving any immediate return, functioning as a “Get Out of Jail Free” card for poor contracts or cap crunch situations. Though often criticized as cap circumvention, it’s a legal loophole Hughes could use if necessary.
The David Savard Dilemma
A particularly interesting case is veteran defenseman David Savard. While he would likely draw trade interest, Montreal may choose to keep him for the remainder of the season, especially if a first-round pick isn’t on the table by the March 7th deadline.
Savard’s value lies in his leadership, experience, and ability to log key minutes as a right-handed defenseman—qualities that are hard to replace. Even with the addition of Alexandre Carrier, the Canadiens might opt to hold onto Savard and revisit his future in the offseason, potentially extending him or simply letting him walk free.
Keeping Savard wouldn’t necessarily block younger players like Logan Mailloux from receiving NHL opportunities later in the season. For instance, the team could instead consider moving veteran left-handed defenseman Mike Matheson to address other organizational needs.
The Trade Freeze and Beyond
As the NHL’s annual trade freeze (December 20-27) is upon us, trade discussions are likely heating up behind the scenes. The Canadiens, with their wealth of assets and flexible options, are poised to be key players in any midseason and offseason movement.
Whether through deferring assets, packaging deals, or navigating the futures of veterans like Savard, Montreal’s management will face pivotal decisions in the coming months—decisions that could shape the next phase of the rebuild and propel the team closer to long-term success.
