The Montreal Canadiens are being linked with potentially offloading a key player this summer. At the moment, Montreal is attempting to collect its first Stanley Cup trophy in 33 years. Despite being the youngest team in the NHL, the Canadiens have made it to the Eastern Conference finals. The team’s main focus right now is to defy the odds and hoist the cup.
Nevertheless, general manager Kent Hughes will have an eye on the roster moving forward as soon as the 2025-26 season ends. The exec will likely have to get creative to improve his team this summer. According to Puckpedia.com, Montreal has just $9.18 million in projected cap space heading towards the 2026-27 campaign. Only two other NHL clubs have less money to work with.
Because of this precarious financial situation, Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin believes the Canadiens could trade Josh Anderson. The winger has one more season remaining on his seven-year, $38.5 million ($5.5 million AAV) contract. With free agency looming in 2027, Montreal could look to offload the veteran rather than watch him leave for free a year from now.
As Larkin points out, the Canadiens have to figure out what to do with pending restricted free agents Zachary Bolduc, Kirby Dach, and Arber Xhekaj. Along with the trio, Montreal also has other roster needs looking ahead. With limited funds, potentially offloading Anderson’s contract would help Hughes add another quality player.
Josh Anderson’s Rising Trade Value Could Help Montreal Canadiens Make Tough Call
GettyJosh Anderson has a +10 rating during the 2025-26 playoffs with the Montreal Canadiens.
This is not the first time that Anderson has been linked with a move away from the Montreal Canadiens. The winger was previously expected to leave the club in the summer of 2025. At the time, it was believed that flipping Anderson could help the club land a true 2C. He, however, obviously remained in Montreal, and the team’s need through the middle remains.
Anderson finished the 2025-26 regular season with just 23 total points. Nevertheless, the veteran has been impactful during Montreal’s current postseason run. His five goals in the playoffs are tied for third-best on the team, along with star winger Cole Caufield. Anderson also leads all Canadiens forwards with 42 postseason hits.
Due to his solid playoff performances, Montreal could instead look to offload Brendan Gallagher. After all, the fellow winger is two years older than Anderson and has a $6.5 million AAV cap hit. The Canadiens, however, would receive much more in return if they opted to trade Anderson.
Montreal Still Needs Another Quality Center
Potentially moving Anderson this summer could finally help the Montreal Canadiens land their 2C. The position remains one of the team’s top needs heading towards the offseason. This is even more the case as phenom Michael Hage will remain in college for one more year.
Montreal and Hughes will have plenty of time to figure out what to do with Anderson this summer. Nevertheless, the Canadiens will have to find ways to create more cap space. Moving the winger, especially after a strong playoff run, could be a necessary evil for the club.
Canadiens Expected to Consider Trading Veteran Forward