The Montreal Canadiens are having fun with a well-earned Olympic break after putting together a 32-17-8 record over the primary 57 games of the 2025-26 National Hockey League season. The Habs have been as consistent as they’ve been good all year long, and currently sit second within the Atlantic Division after winning six of their last nine.
Although there may be a roster freeze in effect until Feb. 22, that hasn’t stopped general manager Kent Hughes from making calls — specifically in the search so as to add a right winger to play on the highest line alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported.
“It looks like the immediate want, it’s that right side on that first line,” the hockey insider said on a recent episode of Day by day Faceoff’s ‘The Sheet with Jeff Marek’ podcast.
Juraj Slafkovsky had been playing on the highest line for many of his young NHL profession, but after a slight demotion, he’s formed terrific chemistry with fellow Europeans and impactful rookies Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen.
Kapanen’s emergence in 2025-26 has made Montreal’s quest for a top-six center less pressing; the 22-year-old is on pace for 26 goals and 45 points, and continues to develop in his first NHL campaign.
Since that line was assembled, Alexandre Texier and Zach Bolduc have been alternating riding shotgun on the highest line with Suzuki and Caufield. But they’ve managed to average under half some extent per game, so an upgrade actually is smart — especially considering the Canadiens have legitimate aspirations to separate themselves in a crowded Eastern Conference playoff race.
Who should Canadiens goal in trade?
Pagnotta speculated that the Habs could look to bring St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou — a player they were linked to last season — to Quebec. It is smart, because the Blues are fading away from postseason contention and can likely be moving on from just a few veterans ahead of the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline.
Kyrou is a superb offensive player; he’s amassed 70 points or more in three of his last five seasons. Nonetheless, his over $8 million cap hit is not ideal, and can be difficult for the Canadiens to soak up, with only $1.5 million in projected cap space on deadline day. In the event that they were capable of acquire him, he would turn into a key piece of the core, as he’s signed through 2030-31.
The answer here is Patrik Laine, who’s more likely to get a change of scenery before March 6. As a pending UFA with an $8.7 million cap hit, it is smart for GM Kent Hughes to maneuver his contract. But Laine is injury-prone and currently not healthy, and moving that contract won’t be easy.
Still, Kyrou would look great on a line with Caufield and Suzuki. So could Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman, who’s one other potential solution with a contract that ends on the conclusion of 2026-27. The Habs have been linked to him already, and despite his offensive ceiling, he can be elevated by players of Caufield and Suzuki’s calibre.
There isn’t any guarantee Montreal makes a move, and even in the event that they don’t, the offense shouldn’t be in any respect a difficulty at once. But improving the highest line would make a potent Canadiens attack even higher ahead of the stretch run.