Marc Dumont
Updated:
Here are the Montreal Canadiens and NHL news items you may have missed on Tuesday.
Montreal Canadiens News
- The Vancouver Canucks are still the front-runners in a potential deal involving Brendan Gallagher, however, Darren Dreger brought up the possibility the Canadiens may end up buying out the final year of Gallagher’s contract. [Canadiens Offseason: Gallagher Trade Talk, Potential Buyout Cost]
- Given how much he has offered to the organization, Gallagher is definitely taking his departure from Montreal with class.
Brendan Gallagher in a recent interview with the Athletic’s Arpon Basu:
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) June 23, 2026
“About halfway through the season, I kind of figured it out. I could kind of sense the direction (the Habs) were looking to go. And it was OK. At that point, I had had conversations with them and they were… pic.twitter.com/F4CqMw8Lfm
- There’s no doubt about it, from a production standpoint, Ivan Demidov enjoyed a great rookie season. His underlying numbers leave something to be desired, but given his elite skill level, logic dictates the team is yet to find his ideal linemates. In other words, there’s still work to be done, but overall, Demidov was fantastic in his first year in the NHL. [Canadiens Player Grades: Demidov Dazzles In Rookie Season]
- Speaking of Demidov, he took some time off from mentoring prospect Alexander Zharovsky to spend time with Warrior Hockey, his stick sponsor. Meanwhile, Zharovsky is in Florida taking part in a camp for Russian prospects hosted by his agent, Daniel Milstein.
Ivan Demidov at a video shoot for Warrior Hockey pic.twitter.com/lfK6Azmoxz
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) June 23, 2026
- TSN mentioned a potential free agency target for the Habs: Jeffrey Viel. The 29-year-old Rimouski native would be an interesting addition to the bottom six, but the lineup is already overflowing with forwards, making it a rather cramped situation.
- ICYMI: We’ve reached phenom Lane Hutson in our Montreal Canadiens player grades, and as expected, he received an A+ due to his excellence. He not only improved his production, his underlying numbers were fantastic in his sophomore season. Hutson is the rising tide that lifts all Canadiens boats. [Canadiens Player Grades: Hutson Is The Rising Tide]
NHL Trades
The Canadiens were not involved in any deals, but it was a very busy day from a trade standpoint. A few deals were made, including some heavy hitters.
- The St. Louis Blues traded Jordan Kyrou to the Washington Capitals in exchange for the 16th overall pick (2026), Connor McMichael and Milton Gastrin.
- The Ottawa Senators acquired William Eklund, Kasper Halttunen, and the rights to Brandon Svoboda in exchange for the ninth overall pick at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. This is on the heels of the trade that saw former Senators captain Brady Tkachuk join the Florida Panthers in exchange for a package of draft picks.
- The New Jersey Devils sent Simon Nemec and Maxim Tsyplakov to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Etienne Morin, a second-round pick (2026), a first-round pick (2027, top-10 protected), and a first-round pick (2028, top-10 protected).
- The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Jordan Greenway and Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Louis Crevier, a first-round pick (4th overall, 2026), and a second-round pick (45th overall, 2026).
Sportsnaut Network
- Sunny Mehta just put his first fingerprints on the New Jersey Devils. The Devils moved Nemec to the Flames with Tsyplakov, opened up $2.5 million to use in the week ahead, and set themselves up with a plethora of assets to use on the trade market that has already seen a magnitude of 10 regarding player movement. [New Jersey Devils]
- Columbus has not made the playoffs since the 2019-2020 season. One player that the Blue Jackets could potentially draft is Boston College Eagles forward Oscar Hemming. Will they select him or potentially draft another player? [Columbus Blue Jackets]
- Brady Tkachuk seems pretty jacked to be joining the Florida Panthers, saying Tuesday morning that he wished “the season started tomorrow.’’ It does not. But it certainly has been a whirlwind couple of days for Brady and the entire Tkachuk clan.[Florida Panthers]
