Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours from the crew at Last Word on Hockey. The Stanley Cup Finals are well underway with the Florida Panthers taking a 2-1 series lead against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night. While the Oilers and Panthers battle for hockey’s Holy Grail, the other 30 teams are focusing on the upcoming NHL Entry Draft and the offseason. Teams are looking to improve on last season so they can try to put themselves in the same position that the Oilers and Panthers have this season. One of those teams are the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens surprised a lot of fans and pundits around the league this season after making the playoffs a year early according to most hockey minds. Now, they’re looking to build on that by taking another step forward this off-season.
This edition of NHL Rumours focuses on the Canadiens and their search for a forward this offseason.
All NHL rumours come from their original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours: Canadiens Looking to Add Some Forward Help this Offseason
Rumour: According to Elliotte Friedman in the lastest edition of 32 Thoughts, the Montreal Canadiens will be looking for a forward in the offseason.
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— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 10, 2025
Analysis: Friedman mentions specifically that the Canadiens would like to add a young forward who can play and grow with Ivan Demidov for years to come. General manager Kent Hughes will be looking to make another move, much like he has the last two seasons with the trades he made for Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook. While these types of moves aren’t always the easiest to pull off, Hughes has managed to put himself in the position where he has a top prospect pool and tons of picks at his disposal. He has all the pieces available at his fingertips to pull off such a move. The question is, who do they target?
Who Would fit the Bill for the Canadiens to Target?
Several names come to mind that the Canadiens could target this offseason. The first name that comes to mind is Minnesota Wild forward Marco Rossi. Rossi is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1st and has found his name in the rumour mill recently. Contract talks haven’t been going as planned and the two parties appear to be far apart on reaching a deal. This has led to trade speculation for the young forward.
This past season, Rossi broke out, scoring 24 goals and 60 points in 82 games. He also contributed two goals and one assist in six playoff games. This, despite averaging just over 11 minutes of ice time per game during the playoffs. Rossi seemed to fall out of favour of his coach John Hynes and now with the contract talks not going smoothly, we could see the Wild move on from the young forward. At just 23 years old, Rossi could be the perfect fit to play next to Ivan Demidov next season.
Ducks Centre Another Possible Option
Another potential fit would be Anaheim Ducks centre Mason McTavish. While his name hasn’t been out there like Rossi’s has been, he is set to become an RFA on July 1st. Last season, we watched the St. Louis Blues pry both Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway away from the Oilers via offer sheets and we could see this tool utilized again. However, the Anaheim Ducks are not in same cap situation that the Oilers were in, so it’s more likely we would see a trade for McTavish, if the Ducks are not able to get him under contract. McTavish also fits the type of deal Hughes has a history of making.
McTavish is certainly the type of player the Canadiens need. He produced his best season to date last year scoring 22 goals and 52 points in 76 games. McTavish possesses the size that the Canadiens certainly need at the centre position, standing at 6’1” and weighing almost 220 lbs. With current second line centre Kirby Dach spending time on the injured reserve in each of his three seasons with the Canadiens, McTavish would certainly be a welcome addition to the clubs top six. While the Habs would surely love to have Dach in the fold, they need to have a more reliable option at this point. Especially if they want someone to grow with Demidov.
Habs will be Looking to Make a Big Swing this Offseason
While neither option is a sure thing, there will certainly be a ton of options for the Canadiens this summer. And after a successful 2024-25 season, the Habs will certainly be looking to make a big swing. Weather they are able to secure either of the two pending RFAs listed or another name comes to fruition over the offseason remains to be seen. However, it will certainly prove to be an important summer for the Kent Hughes and the Canadiens.
Main Photo: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
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