Montreal Canadiens goalie Cayden Primeau at least enjoyed a bit of a career resurgence with the Laval Rocket this past regular season. After getting replaced as Habs’ backup goalie by Jakub Dobes this past December, the soon-to-be 26-year-old went 21-2-2 with a 1.96 goals-against average and .927 save percentage (before faltering somewhat in the playoffs, despite helping to lead the Rocket to the conference finals).
However, the general consensus seems to be the one-time heir apparent to Carey Price is not long for the organization after one too many false starts and stops with the Canadiens, through little fault of his own. And, if Primeau’s gone, you have to believe the same is true for fellow-restricted-free-agent Rafael Harvey-Pinard.
Related: Canadiens’ Unorthodox Approach to Playing Dobes Pays Off… This Time
Even with the Rocket, Harvey-Pinard failed to capture the same lightning in a bottle he did in 2022-23, when he scored 14 goals in 34 Habs games as a rookie, playing with Nick Suzuki for large portions. With the Rocket in 2024-25, Harvey-Pinard scored just five goals and 14 assists in 40 American Hockey League games. He never truly regained his career momentum in the organization, especially after suffering a broken leg last summer, which kept him out for four months. It was one of several injuries Harvey-Pinard suffered, which may have only given opportunity to others to leapfrog him on the depth chart.
If both Harvey-Pinard and Primeau are gone, 2024-25 will have amounted to make-or-break seasons for them, at least within the Canadiens organization. The writing may be on the wall for these next five, ranked in increasing order of likelihood, in 2025-26, if they don’t take significant steps forward:
5. Arber Xhekaj
There’s at least no doubt defenseman Arber Xhekaj is staying with the Canadiens this season. Granted, it’s not like he got demoted to the AHL last season, but he was a relatively frequent healthy scratch by head coach Martin St. Louis, most notably down the stretch, as the Habs were competing for a playoff spot (which they obviously secured in the end).
After last playing on April 6, against the Nashville Predators, Xhekaj missed the next seven games total, before St. Louis put him in for Game 3 against the Washington Capitals. His insertion into the lineup was seen by many as a turning point in the series as the Canadiens got on the board with their first win to cut the deficit to 2-1. Obviously, things ultimately didn’t work out, but, with the perception being the Habs got outmuscled by the Caps overall (despite leading them in hits thrown), it seems unlikely they’ll trade or fail to re-sign the 6-foot-4 (240 pounds) defenseman, as he enters the last year of his deal.
Nevertheless, Xhekaj did take a hit to his offensive numbers, with just one goal and six points. And St. Louis has been stricter with Xhekaj than most others by most appearances. On the plus side, it does seem like St. Louis acknowledges his potential beyond the toughness factor. And it’s a positive sign the Canadiens went off the board in 2023 to draft his brother, Florian, who enjoyed a successful first professional season with the Rocket.
That of course is far from a guarantee it works out long term, based on what transpired with the Kostitsyn brothers 15 years ago now. However, if the Canadiens do come to the conclusion they need more toughness after all, it would be an odd decision to cut bait with even one of the brothers, who each bring grit and size to the table, to start.
4. Logan Mailloux
On paper, defenseman Logan Mailloux has a bright future with the Canadiens. The 2021 first-round pick is a two-time AHL all star and was just named to the league’s Top Prospects Team. However, the right-handed defenseman faces internal competition with David Reinbacher, who got drafted fifth overall in 2023 and plays the same position with similar size and more of an all-around game.
Reinbacher may never have Mailloux’s offensive skill, but, with the emergence of Calder Memorial Trophy-winner Lane Hutson this past season, the Canadiens are probably looking for someone to complement the latter more. And that’s assuming the Habs go back to playing Hutson on his natural left side, which is incredibly crowded in the organization. If not, that’s one less spot up for grabs, with Alexandre Carrier probably owning another.
Mailloux still has another season left before he becomes eligible for waivers. So, the Canadiens don’t need to rush his development. However, with analysts en masse suggesting his defensive game still needs work before he’s ready for the NHL, it’s imperative Mailloux make strides in that regard in 2025-26, with reporter Chris Johnston even going so far as to put him on his trade board for this offseason.
3. Joshua Roy
It’s a similar situation for forward Joshua Roy. The fifth-round pick from Mailloux’s 2021 NHL Entry Draft will be eligible for waivers in 2026. And, while he remains a critical piece to the Rocket’s success up front, he hasn’t been able to seize opportunities at the NHL level. If anything, he’s regressed from that standpoint.
Roy made his NHL debut in 2023-24 to some fanfare, impressing fans and analysts alike with his ability to drive play. No exaggeration, he was one of the team’s best forwards in the second half of the season in that regard, scoring four goals and five assists in 23 total games before he suffered a season-ending injury in mid-March. Unfortunately, he didn’t impress in training camp the following fall and failed to catch on in general, scoring just twice (no assists) in the 12 games he got in once he finally did get called up.
The Canadiens were already fairly stacked on the wing before the arrival of top-prospect Ivan Demidov. So, it’s probably become even harder for Roy to impress with one less top-nine spot presumably open. There may not be one at all when all is said and done, truth be told.
Now, like Mailloux, Roy is still just 22. So, it seems unlikely the Canadiens would give up on him. However, if the opportunities simply aren’t there within the organization, how can he possibly be expected to recapture the ground he’s seemingly lost in the eyes of management and an eventual spot in the lineup?
2. Patrik Laine
One of those spots on the wing currently belongs to Patrik Laine. The keyword is “currently” as many seem to believe he could be on the chopping block due to a perceived lack of cultural fit in the organization. Those critics tend point to a lack of mobility on the ice as a sign of lack of effort, despite:
- Laine having missed a chunk of time due to a preseason knee injury
- Him leading the entire team in power-play goals (15)
- The Canadiens only starting on their ascent up the standings from literally last place in the conference upon his debut last Dec. 3
While his defensive play or lack thereof has admittedly always been an issue, to those seeking a scapegoat for the Canadiens’ hugely unsuccessful season, here’s a question: If Laine is such a problem, how were the Habs able to play their best hockey of the season with him in the lineup? It must be one of those great unsolved mysteries… unless of course there’s something to the inconceivable notion he made the team better.
General manager Kent Hughes addressed the subject of Laine once the Canadiens got eliminated in Round 1. His answer may have been biased, but it was accurate: “We’re not in the playoffs without Patrik Laine.” So, it would be odd for Hughes to turn around and trade the guy this offseason. Agreed?
That having been said, Laine’s deal expires in 2026, at which point he’ll be an unrestricted free agent. Currently earning a team-high $8.7 million cap hit, he’d have to put together an incredible season for the Canadiens to even consider re-signing him, at least at that or a similar rate. As a pending UFA, Laine also obviously reserves the option to pursue all other options, and while the Habs didn’t give up much to acquire him in large part because of that cap hit and how much he had to prove coming out of a bad situation for him personally with the Columbus Blue Jackets, he’ll have his share of suitors looking to sign him for cheaper. Bigger picture though, he’ll likely take up a spot in 2025-26 that Roy could badly use before the latter becomes waiver-eligible.
1. Kirby Dach
Maybe Kirby Dach too. It’s already been three years since the Canadiens acquired Dach at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and then signed him to a four-year deal. It probably only feels as fast as it does, because he’s only played 117 games with the team in that time (24 goals, 38 assists), having just suffered his second consecutive season-ending knee injury (same knee).
First, the good news: Dach is expected to be ready for the start of next season and will only be a restricted free agent in 2026. So, he should have every opportunity to pick up where he left off in 2023, when he seemed like a shoo-in as the team’s No. 2 centre of the future.
The bad news is Dach spent all of 2024-25 trying to gain traction in that role after recovering from his first knee injury. He didn’t succeed, scoring just 10 goals and 22 points in 57 games. So, there is legitimate, justified concern he’ll be able to pick things up, as if he were perfectly healthy (when, all due respect to him, a fact is a fact, “perfectly healthy” has rarely been his modus operandi in the NHL).
There is hope that, if it doesn’t work out for Dach at centre, there will be a spot for him on the wing. However, no one really knows what the future holds, especially with the Canadiens, whose depth chart really only has openings down the middle.
What’s probably the most telling thing is how the absolutely most conservative course of action Hughes can take is to hedge his bets and use this offseason to find a replacement, whether it’s internally or not. As things stand now, it’s accurate to say they don’t have a No. 2 pivot. Even if Dach were healthy, he would still have a lot to prove at the position.
Where does that leave Dach once he returns? Hopefully still with the Canadiens when the dust settles.
