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Which NHL teams improved the most this offseason? Ranking all 32 - The Athletic 2. Montreal Canadiens Net Rating added: +23 In: Zack Bolduc, Noah Dobson Out: Emil Heineman, Logan Mailloux, David Savard, Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia If you’re a Canadiens fan, it’s time to get excited. Only one team has improved more over the last summer externally and it’s likely that few teams will improve more internally, given the collective age of Montreal’s roster.

38g in 306games, he is what he is, i sure hope he isnt in the middle six.

In Laval.

Not sure anyone wouldnt.

“No Favors From Me” — Kozlov on Zharovsky’s Rise And NHL Potential “We brought Zharovsky up for the playoffs because one of our under-21 players got injured,” Kozlov explained in an exclusive interview with RG. “Initially, I thought I’d just dress him, maybe give him one or two shifts.” But what Kozlov saw in those early moments changed everything. “When he stepped on the ice, I noticed he didn’t seem nervous. I liked that. I liked how he always had a clear plan when he had the puck. He either passed it directly to a teammate, took a shot, or made a move himself—he wasn’t just getting rid of it.” Source: https://rg.org/news/hockey/no-favors-from-me-viktor-kozlov-discusses-zharovsky-rise-nhl-potential-canadiens

A good year.

Hage & Reinbacher seem safe bets. A goalie who had good and not so good AHL playoff games (3-3 2.48 0.902%) and the other guy, who knows, both seem long shots to me. Is anyone a good goalie scout? I remember Button going on and on about how good Fucale was.

yes the author thinks Paupanekis was a steal of the draft. Roy seems fading off the radar. A small d-man who dosent skate all that well (I think is said) was a long shot to begin with. That is #1 line or 1st pair-d. Who are you thinking of? Reinbacher is only one that seems reasonable expectation. Fowler has same resume of Primeau, so who the hell knows is even is a capable starter at NHL level. Hage may be top six centre in couple/few years, but unlikely to be bumping Suzuki off the 1st line. The russian is a long long way from 1st line winger.

No one ever thought he would be a Dobson or Shae Weber, a #2/#3 is what he always was projected as. If need a goal in last minute of game, he wouldnt be the one Marty puts on the ice. If defending a 1 goal lead , then he would be. Vast majority of group wont ever meet fan expectations or hopes, safe to say.

Interesting way to look at pool. The 2025 Montreal Canadiens Prospect Pyramid

Quite a grouping of XXXL teenager d-men at start of 2nd round. All small compared to that 7-footer than just joined the OHL i suppose.

Same article. Go Marty! https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2025/07/canadiens-still-have-work-to-do-this-summer.html

2C found. Canadiens Management Make First Key Decision Involving Newcomer Zachary Bolduc

Way-too-early predictions for the 2025-26 NHL season: Stanley Cup winner, awards and more - The Athletic

AHL names 2024-25 winners of excellence awards | TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League The Rocket won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for finishing with the best record in the AHL during the 2024-25 regular season before advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in four seasons. Off the ice, they remained a model of excellence in all areas of their operation, seeing continued business growth and providing a first-class experience to their fans at Place Bell where they averaged better than 9,900 fans per game during the regular season (including 23 sellouts).

Matheson #s dropped, assume some must be the Hutson-factor. 23-24 82gms 25:33 62pts PP-3:41 PK-2:59 24-25 80gms 25:05 30pts PP-1:57 PK-3:28 Who knows, maybe he and Dobson could be a good pairing and just stick Hutson on right-side with Guhle?

So what do you do with Matheson? Used to playing 25minutes/game but no longer will, he will get zero PP time anymore and his contract is running out. So trading him at some point still makes sense, be in now, mid-season or at deadline (least preferred if in a playoff spot). BUT, he is the only Hab d-man over the age of 28, so creating an even younger d-core likely not recommended. Will be interesting and are always injuries so need depth also.

What is track record of CHL vs NCAA goalies upon graduating to pros? Seems most of best goalies are European, arnt they? Who do play more games/season than NCAA also.

2025-26 Depth Assessment: Goalies – HabsWorld.net Needs Assessment: Low – Is this Montreal’s long-term tandem between the pipes? Probably not but Montembeault is set as the starter for the next little while and they need to see if Dobes is a potential longer-term option for them. With playoff hopes, there’s some risk here but no realistic way to get a meaningful upgrade either. Needs Assessment: Low – With what should be (pending waiver clearance) Kahkonen and Fowler in goal, Laval’s in good shape. With Gaudreau and Jones set to play in Trois-Rivieres as well, they’re set unless they want a third goalie.

Why another winger, dosent even make sense, does it? Unless are trading a d-man & also a winger to make room. Cant see Hughes adding anything but a centre or maybe a vet d-man for depth. Matheson 31/Carriere 28, rest are 21-25yr old.

Blackhawks pick Frondell, Bruins prospect Hagens to attend World Junior Summer Showcase | NHL.com Mooney on Team USA.

So fans are gonna REALLY get screwed in prices, wonderful.

good and not s much. Breaking down Noah Dobson: What he brings and how he fits with Canadiens - The Athletic One of the most noticeable improvements from year to year was what a workhorse he became with his breakout ability. According to Corey Sznajder’s tracking at All Three Zones, Dobson emerged as one of the best puck retrievers in the league, with 24.5 per 60. For context, that stacks up to players such as Rasmus Dahlin and Luke Hughes. While there were some mistakes along the way, he still turned a lot of those retrievals into exits to help push the Islanders out of their own zone. Defensemen get caught flat-footed and puck-watching all the time. Mistakes are bound to happen in a high-paced league filled with scoring threats. However, the number of errors from Dobson was concerning last year, especially for someone asking for such a sizable raise. Technically, he was on the ice for fewer shots and expected goals against at five-on-five this past year, compared to 2023-24. But his fingerprints were on more goals against, which made his errors all the more glaring.

Likely why they traded for Bolduc and had no interest in trading the likes of a Guhle or maybe Reinbacher for Kyrou?