The Montreal Canadiens have been involved in several trade rumours lately, however, the upcoming NHL holiday roster freeze will instill a little stability in the upcoming week.
Every season, the NHL ensures players will be able to enjoy the Christmas break without worrying about a change in employment address. This year, the rosters will be frozen between Friday, December 19, at 11:59 pm ET, and Sunday, December 28, at 12:01 am ET.
NHL Holiday Roster Freeze Rules (via CBA)
(i) For all Players on an NHL Active Roster, Injured Reserve, or Players with Non-Roster and Injured Non-Roster status as of 11:59 p.m. local time on December 19, a roster freeze shall apply through 12:01 a.m. local time December 28, with respect to Waivers, Trades and Loans; provided, however, that Players may be Recalled to NHL Clubs during this period and, provided further, that if a Player is placed on Regular Waivers prior to the roster freeze period and is claimed during such roster freeze period, the roster freeze period shall not apply, and the Player shall immediately report to the claiming Club. However, during the roster freeze period a Club can make any Player transactions necessary for the Club to come into compliance with Article 50 as a result of a Player being removed from the Bona-Fide Long-Term Injury/Illness Exception.
(ii) Notwithstanding Section 16.5(d)(i), a Player on emergency Recall may be Loaned during the roster freeze period and a Player who was Recalled after December 11 may be Loaned through 11:59 p.m. local time on December 23, provided such Player is not required to be placed on Waivers during the roster freeze period in order to effectuate such Loan.
Montreal Canadiens Impact
Teams can still recall players during the freeze, which means it will have no impact on Samuel Montembeault’s conditioning stint in the AHL, which can only last a total of 14 days. The Canadiens are expected to recall Montembeault prior to Sunday’s game versus the Pittsburgh Penguins.
However, if the Canadiens are intent on making a deal, they will have to do so by Friday, or wait until the 28th. Recently, the Canadiens were loosely linked to former Hab Philip Danault, but given his downtick in results this season, it’s fair to say they’re not in a rush to acquire an aging player who provides very little offence.
If history is any indication, general manager Kent Hughes tends to take it relatively easy during the holidays. That being said, he’s not inert, with last season’s trade for defenceman Alexandre Carrier, on December 18, 2024, being the closest he’s come to making a significant change to his lineup as the NHL’s holiday roster freeze loomed.
