Here is an overview of the Canadiens' lineup for the upcoming season

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David St-Jean
July 2, 2024 (9:14)

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We expected changes to the Canadiens' roster for the upcoming season, and while the future outlook is quite different, the short-term situation is the opposite.

With the addition of Ivan Demidov, the Canadiens now have an elite potential forward in their ranks, which will certainly be noticeable in the future.

However, Kent Hughes chose to be cautious in the free agent market, not making any significant signings or major trades.

This means that in the short term, the team will remain largely the same. Of course, there is still the entire summer to make changes, but for now, it's the status quo.

Here is an overview of the lineup if everything stays the same:

"If there are no changes by then (there should be a few!), the Habs' lineup in October should look like this:

Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky
Newhook-Dach-Roy
Anderson-Dvorak-Gallagher (urgh)
Pezzetta/RHP-Evans-Armia

Matheson-Guhle
Hutson-Savard
Xhekaj-Barron/Harris

Montembeault-Primeau

We understand that the bottom 6 needs to be revamped eventually, that a top 6 forward is missing, that Mailloux/Reinbacher could make the team over Hutson, and that you want Guhle to play on the left, but otherwise, for now, it looks like this!" - Marc-Olivier Beaudoin

As Beaudoin mentions, changes could be made internally or through trades/signings, but overall, this is the current outlook.

Personally, I hope Kent Hughes will be able to trade Justin Barron to make room for Logan Mailloux. We must not forget that it will be impossible to send Barron to Laval without first placing him on waivers, while Mailloux can go directly.