Josh Anderson Sends Clear Message About His Canadiens Future as UFA Looms

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RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 23: Josh Anderson #17 of the Montréal Canadiens celebrates after scoring a first period goal against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center on May 23, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Over the summer, Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes announced contract extensions for multiple players, including Ivan Demidov, Jakub Dobes, and Arber Xhekaj.

The Canadiens and their fans can feel secure knowing that so many of their key young players, including core pieces like Demidov along with Lane Hutson, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield, are all under contract for the foreseeable future as the club looks to bring the Stanley Cup back to town for the first time since 1993.

But another player on the Canadiens who is in line for a new contract is Josh Anderson, and he’s made things clear on where he stands regarding his future in Montreal.

Josh Anderson Makes His Desires On Future With The Montreal Canadiens Clear

According to NHL Insider Darren Dreger, Anderson has met with Canadiens GM Kent Hughes and made it clear that his preference is to stay with Montreal.

“Josh Anderson made it abundantly clear as a designated leader that he wants to stay long term in Montreal,” Dreger said on a recent episode of “Insider Trading”.

Dreger added that he expects the club and Anderson to begin negotiations sooner rather than later on.

So far in 2026-27, Anderson has impressed with four goals and two assists in seven games played, and was named an alternate captain thanks to the departure of Brendan Gallagher over the summer. He’s in the last season of the seven-year, $38.5 million contract he signed that carries a $5.5 million salary cap hit.

Josh Anderson Is Playing In The Final Year Of His Current Contract

Anderson was originally taken by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fourth round (95th overall pick) of the 2012 NHL Draft; he would play his way up through the organization and eventually make his debut in 2014-15.

After several more years with the Blue Jackets, he was traded to the Canadiens in 2020 for Max Domi. After signing a seven-year contract, Anderson helped the club reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, though they were beaten by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

So far in his NHL career, he’s appeared in 695 games, and has scored 164 goals with 115 assists. He’s also contributed 13 goals and nine assists in 67 career postseason games.